Sacred Heart Center is a non-profit community center serving the surrounding neighborhoods of South Richmond, one of the poorest and most violent areas in the city of Richmond. The Center accomplishes its mission by working closely with our neighbors, choosing to address long-term problems, providing options for those in greatest need, insisting on quality programs, and collaborating openly with all who share our mission. Through these efforts, the Center fosters a community of respect and love among everyone affiliated with its programs and activities. Our mission is to be a source of hope and strength for children and families. The Center provides a continuum of educational and social-development programs that aggressively address issues of poverty.
The neighborhoods surrounding the Center have one of the highest crime and poverty rates in the state of Virginia. Accessibility and affordability of high-quality educational and social-development opportunities are at a critical state for low-income families-particularly single-parent households and parents returning to work.
- 77 percent of residents over 25 years of age have less than a high school education
- 60 percent earn incomes below the poverty level
- 65 percent of the families are headed by a single parent
- 21 percent of the residents are school-age children
