Alachua County directs staff to inventory community resource centers and return funding recommendations for 2025–26

Alachua County commissioners voted to direct staff to gather fuller information on community resource centers and to develop recommendations for possible county funding in fiscal year 2025–26.

Claudia Tuck, director of Alachua County’s Community Support Services, told the commission the staff presentation responds to a Dec. 10, 2024 motion and that her office surveyed 11 community resource centers across the county to capture hours, target populations and needs. “We are here today in response to your motion from 12/10/2024, where you asked us to discuss the community centers,” Tuck said, introducing Satori Days’ summary of the self-reported surveys.

Satori Days, the county’s Community Stabilization Program manager, said the surveyed centers together reported 27 full‑time staff, eight part‑time staff and 89 volunteers. Common needs listed on the surveys included office equipment, additional staff, volunteers and vehicles; some municipal centers reported no immediate needs. Days cautioned that the submitted budgets were self‑reported and not standardized across organizations.

Commissioners praised the inventory but pressed for more consistent data. Commissioner Ken Cornell, participating remotely, urged staff to identify which centers are municipally run versus nonprofit or volunteer‑run, to request operating budgets and funding sources, and to coordinate with the Community Foundation and the Children’s Trust to develop recommendations on both a funding amount and an equitable process for distribution. “If we can get the cities to join us in this effort and leverage both county and city dollars, I think that’s a great way to get grants,” Cornell said.

Other commissioners and community partners emphasized capacity building and nonfinancial supports. Commissioners suggested matching centers with existing community resources—Repurpose Project donations, volunteer recruitment software and county surplus equipment—and asked staff to consider helping small centers standardize reporting so the county can compare budgets across sites.

During public comment, representatives from the Children’s Trust and Partnership for Strong Families described an existing Family Resource Center model that provides staffing, equipment and data support; Christy Goldwire of the Children’s Trust said her organization often funds a substantial share of operating costs but noted its own limits and the need to scale capacity if the county expands the model.

The motion from Commissioner Cornell asked staff to: 1) identify which listed centers are municipal versus nonprofit/volunteer‑run; 2) request operating budgets where available; 3) work with the Community Foundation and Children’s Trust to produce recommendations on funding amounts and methods for FY2025–26; and 4) provide staff assistance to help centers gather the requested information. The motion was seconded and adopted by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will compile the requested lists and budgets, coordinate with named partners and return to the commission with funding and process recommendations for the fiscal 2025–26 budget cycle.