A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH PROMISE
Jacobsville is a neighborhood shaped by its people, culture, and deep sense of community. Families here have built lives marked by resilience, care, and connection. Yet in this neighborhood, the lives of residents have also been significantly impacted by generations of systemic barriers—economic hardship, disinvestment, and inequitable access to opportunity.
Today, a young person in Jacobsville has a higher likelihood of not completing high school than of attaining a postsecondary degree. Educational attainment lags, and many families continue to face barriers to mobility—not because of who they are, but because of systems that have failed to deliver on the promise of opportunity.
We believe that when we walk with youth, families, and neighborhoods with consistency, we begin to reverse that story. The Jacobsville Promise is our long-term investment in creating the conditions where children can thrive—and where mobility is not the exception, but the expectation.
Jacobsville |
Evansville | |
Adults 25 or older that did not complete high school. |
20% |
11% |
Adults 25 or older who have attained a post-secondary degree. |
20% |
24% |
Jacobsville youth are 70% more likely to drop out of high school than complete a post-secondary degree.
Promise Jacobsville
Promise Jacobsville is a whole-child, cradle-to-career pathway of supports and services. It is a long-term, place-based investment in our neighborhood—designed to walk with youth with continuity, removing barriers and expanding their opportunities from early childhood through college.
This Promise extends beyond youth. It includes families, schools, and systems. We know that mobility happens not just through individual programs but through the full ecosystem surrounding a child. That’s why we deliver coordinated support across three core domains: (1) Youth Pathways, (2) Family Empowerment, and (3) Neighborhood Investment.
1. The Barriers We Confront
We recognize that the barriers in Jacobsville are layered, systemic, and generational. Our work is informed by insights from economic and social mobility research, but it is shaped by what we’ve learned walking alongside Jacobsville families.
2. Place Predicts Possibility
Where a child grows up remains one of the strongest predictors of their future health, income, and educational attainment. In Jacobsville, youth experience limited access to opportunity not because of who they are, but because of where they live—and the systemic barriers they face.
3. Opportunity is Uneven
Families here often navigate educational challenges, low-wage labor markets, limited transportation options, housing instability, and a lack of access to consistent mental and physical health care. These overlapping gaps are not incidental—they are structural.
ENGAGING IN NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR DAYS
LYN Days happen biannually! These days mean so much to our community and are spent ensuring Jacobsville is the best neighborhood it can be.
COMMUNITY ACTION GRANTS
These grants enable community members to initiate special projects or organize initiatives that uplift the entire neighborhood.
JACOBSVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION
DCE works closely with JNIA! Meetings are held in our gym every 3rd Wednesday of the month!
WHY IT MATTERS
It matters because the people of Jacobsville matter.
Children should not have to leave their neighborhood to find opportunity. Families should not have to navigate disconnected systems just to stay afloat. This Promise exists because every child deserves a clear and supported path to thrive.