A Girls of Virtue Initiative
12 Blocks Unites Us
Coordinated Youth Care · Duval County, Florida · Healing the City from the Inside Out
Every child in Duval County deserves to be seen, supported, and never asked to tell their story twice. 12 Blocks Unites Us makes that possible — block by block, school by school, life by life.
The Problem We're Solving
Today, a vulnerable student in Jacksonville may be required to complete four to seven separate applications to access mental health care, housing, meals or job training — retelling their trauma to each new agency. Parents who cannot navigate the paperwork, find the resources or travel across town lose their children to the cracks. With a 2.8% dropout rate, Duval County loses 3,640 students every year.
The resources exist. The connection does not.
How It Works
1. One Intake, Full Access
A student visits a hub and completes one secure form — unlocking coordinated mental health, housing, food, workforce and mentorship services without redundant paperwork.
2. School-Integrated Case Management
Unite Us software integrates with the Duval County School Board’s system, giving every teacher, counselor, church and nonprofit a shared, real-time view of a student’s care journey.
3. Neighborhood Hubs, Not Downtown Offices
Hubs sit within walking distance of four dropout-prevention schools — Biscayne, Lone Star, MyCroSchool and River City Science Academy — removing transportation barriers entirely.
4. Coordination, Not Competition
Nonprofits, churches and city partners share scheduling, outcomes data and referral pathways — ending duplication so no student is over- or under-served.
The Four Pillars: Heart, Head, Health, Home
Every hub teaches the same four pillars, delivered by the community partners with the strongest curriculum in each subject.
Heart — Spiritual
Who I am in God, how to pray, worship and stand in the authority of Jesus Christ — identity in place of not knowing whose they are.
Head — Mental & Emotional
Managing emotions and proactive work on grief, trauma, boundaries and communication — instead of reactive medication as the only answer.
Health — Physical
Preventative health, real food and nutrition, exercise, swimming and outdoor life — in place of a diet of chemicals and a screen-bound childhood.
Home — Financial & Practical
Money, investments, taxes, insurance and credit, plus a vocational trade that pays a living wage — in place of credit cards and debt.
What This System Enables
• Identify gaps in services across the city and shift resources in real time.
• See overlaps in scheduling and end duplicated effort across partners.
• Confirm delivery — know whether a child did or did not receive care.
• Work on a Baptist Hospital-vetted platform with accountable care standards.
• Free to all nonprofits and churches — every willing partner can join.
• Track every referral and generate measurable outcomes for funders.
Why This Pilot Stands Apart
DCPS Approved
Integration into Duval County Public Schools’ case management system is already approved — this is active, not proposed.
Communities In Schools
Communities In Schools is co-piloting this model with its 5,000-student network, adding immediate scale and credibility.
Coalition Building
The School Board Foundation, United Way, Baptist Hospital and city leaders are actively meeting to support implementation.
Manatee Blueprint
The School District of Manatee County already runs this system and is willing to actively support Duval’s launch.
A Rescue Mission for Every Child Who Was Left Behind
Because Unite Us integrates with school district data, 12 Blocks Unites Us can look back five to ten years to identify and reconnect with young people who fell through the cracks — those who dropped out, aged out, or were never reached. This is not only a prevention model. It is a citywide healing strategy: reaching back to retrieve what was lost, and reaching forward to protect every child still in the system.
A Growing Coalition of Partners
Duval County Public Schools · Biscayne High School · Lone Star High School · MyCroSchool Jacksonville Charter High School · River City Science Academy Middle-High · Communities In Schools · Unite Us · School Board Foundation · United Way · Manatee County Schools · Junior Achievement · UNF · The Church of Eleven22 · YMCA · Goodwill · JAX Chamber · Mental Health Matters Jax
Help Us Unite the City
Give to fund the hubs, or bring your school, church, business or nonprofit to the table. Every willing partner can join — and no child has to stay lost.