For this post, students have been
assigned the task of finding five opportunites in a local newspaper. I am going
to examine the Gainesville Sun, and see what I can find.
Opportunity # 1.) Point-In-Time survey
tallies Alachua County’s Homeless
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This article discusses homelessness statistics
in Alachua county and surrounding areas. It includes interviews of homeless
people, and quotes from those who are working to stop homelessness.
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The problem being presented is that the Alachua
county area does not have enough funding to provide housing for the homeless.
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This problem could affect homeless people, real
estate developers, and people launching fundraising campaigns.
Opportunity # 2.) Are Hatchbacks
better than Crossovers?
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This article details statistics about American’s
vehicle purchasing patterns.
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The problem that is stated centers around the
capabilities and details of different vehicles that are currently on the
market.
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This problem effects automotive companies at all
levels.
Opportunity # 3.) City sees Spike
in Senior Housing Plans
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This article is about some new real estate
developments in the Gainesville area that are geared towards senior living.
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The problem highlighted in this article is that
as baby boomers get older, their ability to care for themselves diminishes.
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This problem could affect real estate
developers, as well as any families with baby boomers who don’t have the means
to care for them.
Opportunity # 4.) LEEP Program
Accepting applications
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This article discusses a new way for low-income
households to make their homes more energy efficient at a low cost.
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The problem pointed out in this article is that
sometimes homes with lower quality infrastructure can cause utility bills to be
expensive.
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This problem can affect both low income
households, and utilities companies.
Opportunity # 5.) County Health
Officials offer flu tips
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This article shares some practical tips to help
Gainesville citizens stay healthy during flu season.
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The problem behind this article is that people
are getting sick.
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This problem can affect literally anyone.
People, medical professionals, employers, etc.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteReading your post put perspective on the problems that local businesses and individuals are experiencing. For example, I was totally unaware that Alachua County had such a large problem with the homeless population, compounded by the lack of funding that homeless housing receives for the state. I was also unaware of the funding that is being provided for elderly living facilities in the city because of the aging population. Sometimes, one does not think about the things that do not affect them personally, so having these issues be brought to my attention through the local newspaper has opened my eyes to possibly making a glance at the paper a part of my everyday routine, as a responsible citizen and aspiring entrepreneur. Thanks for sharing!
Michael, it was interesting to explore your list of problems, especially with the focus on homeless and low-income populations. I was surprised to learn that a contributing factor to the hardship of low-income households was not utility use, but that old infrastructure raises cost. It reminds me of the Boots Theory. Your list has made me realize that Boots Theory-esque situations exists in a variety of scenarios and that there may be many opportunities to solve problems related to these situations.
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