The group is renewing efforts to help families in need in Tuscaloosa

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WBRC) – Efforts to provide more support to families of struggling Tuscaloosa City School students continue.

People who want to help them have met to report how things are going

The band is called Zone.

Tuscaloosa City Schools has identified a zone or area of the city where students have been absent from class or have other problems. If this problem can be solved with third party support, many people are willing to help.

The zone operates at the New Heights Community Resource Center, where representatives from Tuscaloosa City Schools, the City of Tuscaloosa, United Way of West Alabama and other community supporters gathered for the update.

There were 460 families in need of assistance in the initial area.

Some of the needs included inadequate housing, food insecurity, among others.

A dozen partner agencies have come together to offer support to these families through The Zone.

But more is needed.

“Communication with services. So what we offer here is a suite of services for our families. So we can bring in the twelve partners that we have. That we can bring families together through things like food. We have a food pantry here. We can link them to resources. We have disability rights and resources,” explained Calissa Bormann, New Heights Area Manager.

The zone will conduct public surveys in the winter, with listening sessions around Tuscaloosa planned for next spring.

You can contact Calissa Bormann at (205) 759-3534 or [email protected] for more information about The Zone and the New Heights Community Resource Center.

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