South City Foundation is joining a two-year national initiative through the Harvard Graduate School of Education aimed at connecting families in South City with the needed support systems.
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Building a village: How South City Foundation is helping families find support
The organization is now part of the 2026-2027 Success Planning Community of Practice through the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The effort focuses on building stronger support systems for South City families, including connecting them with a trusted adult to help guide them through challenges.
South City Foundation CEO, Rahkiah Brown, says the initiative addresses barriers that can prevent families from getting the help they need.
“Helping to alleviate barriers to access to supports and services, and just being someone that you can call on when you need help or things like that, outcomes tend to be much greater,” Brown said.
After surveying more than 200 South City residents and holding community focus groups, South City Foundation leaders found that families were facing barriers with affordable housing, childcare, transportation, and navigating available resources.
For Malissa Minnis, the foundation’s support started with a simple connection, allowing her to bring her son to South City Foundation’s pop-up playdates in the neighborhood.
Through those events, she met other families, connected with community resources, and found a space where parents support one another.
Brown says the goal of the Harvard initiative is to connect children and families with personalized support through trusted relationships.
“So the purpose of the institute is to bring communities together to understand how they can put together systems of support around a family, and the vehicle is a caring adult,” Brown said.
Over the next two years, South City Foundation will work with the Children’s Services Council of Leon County, Kids Incorporated of the Big Bend, and CareerSource Capital Region to design and launch a support model.
South City Foundation leaders say they hope the model eventually serves as a blueprint to connect more families with support systems across Tallahassee.
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