Our Mission

It does not take a magic wand to heal a community encompassing four square miles with more than 50,000 at-risk residents. It takes perseverance and an unwavering commitment building non-traditional public and private partnerships with a coalition of agencies, government officials, private citizens, businesses, law enforcement and area residents. Collective efficacy, the willingness for all these groups to come together in an unprecedented show of unity, foresight and belief that positive changes can be made, is at the core of succeeding. When this all comes together, the real magic starts to happen.

The University Area Community Development Corporation is a 501c3 charitable organization whose mission is to obtain the necessary resources, support, and direction to improve public safety and sustain a thriving community where great social, financial, educational and health-related challenges exist. In the pursuit of this mission, the UACDC works to further strengthen Hillsborough County’s most socially and economically vulnerable neighborhoods through activities, programs, and services. These range from operating a fully-programmed, state-of-the-art Community Center Complex to increasing economic development and affordable housing through innovative partnerships between public and private sectors and a wide range of service providers. Our programs focus on crime prevention, education, social service, health, recreation, and the cultural arts. This is just the start. Our future lies in continuing to challenge ourselves by merging economic, educational, and social opportunities together to create a vibrant and sustainable community.

You can see how we carry out our mission every day in successful programs such as Prodigy Cultural Arts, which uses the arts to engage children ages 7-17. Or in our Teen Council, where 25 participants meet weekly to address the needs of teens in the community, spending hundreds of volunteer hours making positive changes to impact their friends and peers.

Our mission is also reflected in our Coordinated Community Anti Crime Initiative, which is using the UACDC’s success story as the basis for a series of symposiums and workshops to teach community leaders across Florida how to take steps toward creating safe and sustainable communities. As part of this initiative, UACDC also created the University Area Apartment Owners and Managers Association. The association provides increased collaboration among the owners, managers, and 40,000 residents of apartment complexes in the University Area by increasing interaction with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to improve quality of life in apartment living and decrease criminal activity in these residential areas.