Division Board Reports –September 2015
Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention
Resilient Children
 The Advocates for Better Communities coalition hosted a Drug Endangered Children
Training to 18 community members.
 SPIRIT staff facilitated 268 sessions of Peacebuilders and/or Too Good For Drugs curricula
to Carthage classrooms grades K-8.
 SPIRIT collaborated with Carthage schools to implement art projects and various other
activities in conjunction with Peace Week September 14-18.
 DYS Mentoring Program staff coordinated a Girls Group and Cooking Group as part of
Excel School’s after school groups this month.
Healthy Families
 DYS Mentoring Program staff facilitated a meeting between a youth’s guardian and DYS
staff that led to help with enhanced supervision for the family.
 DYS Mentoring Program staff provided several services to mentees this month to help
enhance healthy family communication, promote family bonding, and enhance relationship
development skills.
Strong Neighborhoods & Communities
 Community Partnership was awarded the Project AWARE-C grant, which will bring
$125,000/year for 3 years to provide Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) trainings for
2,700 Greene County adults, connect teens to appropriate professional mental health and
youth-serving providers and other support strategies, and help decrease stigma related to
mental health issues.
 The SPIRIT program was one of the programs highlighted at its Annual Meeting this
month, including a presentation by the Carthage School District Assistant Superintendent.
 A “Who is CPO: SPIRIT” video was completed and released this month.
 All 11 of the prevention coalitions served by CPO that applied for mini-grant funds received
those grants from DBH for FY2016, totaling $49,770.
 The Stand Against Trafficking coalition presented to 15 SANE nurses at a local hospital on
signs of sex trafficking that nurses might encounter.
 Douglas County CHART held a Town Hall meeting with 8 community members and a
legislative awareness event with 12 community members.
 Five communities (Springfield, Nixa, Dade County, Douglas County and Branson) worked
with Community Partnership to hold Medication Take Back Events, collecting 1,798 pounds
of medication (1,276 pounds of which were from Springfield’s 5 locations).
 RSC staff provided/coordinated the following trainings/presentations:
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o One presentation on Mandated Reporter to 26 MSU students.
o One YMHFA training to 23 Taney County participants.
o Two Responsible Beverage Service trainings, one for nine Springfield alcohol retailer
employees and one for 39 Branson employees.
o Two presentations entitled “Music! Does it Move Our Choices?” to 362 students in
Warsaw, MO and 63 students in Liberty, MO.
o One presentation on Meth and the Drug Endangered Child to the 15 students in the
FCS course at MSU.
Early Childhood & Family Development
Resilient Children
CLASS ( Classroom Assessment Scoring System)
The CLASS assessment for our area Head Starts will begin in October.
A DECA training was provided for a home child care provider who will be using the DECA
assessment with the children in her care in an effort to support and strengthen their resiliency.
Strong Communities
Early Care and Education Collaborative
The Early Care & Collaborative met on September 15th. Work continued on establishing
commonalities between several assessment tools used across programs in our community. The
collaborative with use Canvas, an electronic communication system to share ideas and information
between collaborative members, school personnel, etc. The goal is to provide parents and teachers a
clearer view of where their children are at regarding kindergarten readiness regardless of which
assessment tool is being used.
Educare
Educare’s Early Childhood Specialist continues to recruit new providers during the month of
September. They completed 54 visits serving 56 providers within 45 programs during the month of
September. Educare services impacted 392 children during the first month of the new fiscal year.
An unlicensed child care provider obtained her child care license which will increase the number of
children she can now care for with support and encouragement for one of our Child Care Specialist.
Desired Results Development Profile training
DRDP training was delivered at two sites during the month of September for a total for 39
participants. This observation based assessment supports teachers efforts to have children ready to
enter Kindergarten.
Supervision Training
Supervision training was delivered to two childcare programs needing training and support due to
incidents that took place at their program site.
Provider Health Fair
Planning meetings for the annual Provider Health Fair to be held in October continues. Vendor
letters have been sent out and contacts have been made to those who will be doing health
assessments. This is a collaborative event between Community Partnership, Greene Co. Health
Dept. and Child Care Aware.
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Called to Care Conference
Plans are underway for the Called to Care Conference to be held March 5th in Springfield. This
collaborative effort includes Educare, Every Child Promise, Child Care Aware and Lighthouse Child
and Family Development Center.
Community & Neighborhood Development
Resilient Children
 The Drug Prevention Club held its first meetings this month. The participating schools are
Pipkin Middle School, Weaver Elementary, Reed Academy and Robberson Community
School. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (Sorosis Club of Springfield) has
donated $3,500 to help support the club and the creation of a toolkit.
 A yearlong mentoring project is beginning with McGregor 5th grade students and Westport
K-8 7th grade students. The students will become Pen Pals and complete handwritten letters
to send each meeting. The long range goal is the 5th grade students will have someone they
know when they enter middle school.
 Caring Communities is supporting 28 after-school clubs serving 564 students.
 Nine youth are participating in the Fulbright Springs After-School Adventures program.
This program is focusing on teaching health and science.
Healthy Families
 Men with Kids Breakfast at Pipkin Middle School had an amazing turnout. The program is
modeled after All Pro Dads. The first meeting 53 individuals attended and 25 of those were
adults. There were fathers, uncles, and grandfathers in attendance. Following the meeting, 10
people volunteered to help with future meetings. The group will meet on a monthly basis.
 Our Senior Social Worker assisted 34 families this past month, however there were 7 families
she was unable to assist due to limited time.
Strong Neighborhoods & Communities
 Hosted a Lead & Learn event focused on improving a neighborhood’s efforts with social
media. The training showed how to promote engagement with their social media rather than
just a static presence.
 The Tool Lending Library loaned over 31 items to 15 members and one neighborhood
association. Robberson Neighborhood Association utilized tools to complete two service
days with Missouri State University Students.
 A C.A.S.H. Financial Literacy graduate met her savings goal this past month and another
graduate has contacted our Financial Literacy Coordinator to establish a plan for meeting her
goal.
Collaborative Board Report
Council of Collaboratives
The Council is standing ready for the October 8 report releases as setting clear opportunities for
Collaborative initiatives and the Council is looking to strengthen its involvement in facilitating.
Child Abuse and Neglect Collaborative: The Child Abuse and Neglect Collaborative will have a
table at the Raising of America screening in October. The Collaborative is also waiting to hear on two
large grants that would be momentus in achieving its long-term goals.
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Environmental Collaborative: The Environmental Collaborative reconvened this month. The
Ozarks Clean Air Alliance held a media workshop on ground-level ozone and is poised to respond
to the new EPA emissions standards when announced.
Healthy Living Alliance: Planning for the Active Living Team is being conducted. The goal is to
have this team to begin meeting by January 2016. The next quarterly Advisory Council meeting is
scheduled for November.
Housing Collaborative: The Housing Collaborative is partnering with the Department of Mental
Health for the 2016 Missouri Housing Summit and the Collaborative is discussing whether hosting a
pre-conference congress in conjunction with the event is workable or if the group should plan an
event at a different time.
Impacting Poverty Collaborative: The Impacting Poverty Collaborative did not meet in
September. The group will reconvene ahead of the Impacting Poverty Commission’s report release
and is positioned to revise its priorities to correspond with the Commission’s recommendations.
Safe and Sanitary Homes Collaborative: Continues to receive referrals, however the number of
self-referrals has decreased and the Collaborative is receiving more referrals from neighbors and
other agencies. The Collaborative is continuing to research options for donations, partners and
funding sources.
Affordable Housing and Homeless Prevention
Strong Communities
Mayors Task Force on Crisis Shelter: Community Partnership and our One Door program
presented startling news to the City of Springfield regarding the number of households with children
that had sought shelter assistance over the last 12 months. A total of 533 households with children
under the age of 18 came into One Door for a shelter assessment as they were either homeless or
would be within a two week period. Shelter options are limited within our region and the
opportunity for immediate placement is very low. Many of our family shelters provide services to a
target population – Victims of Domestic Violence, pregnant women (single) with children further
reducing the opportunity for two adult households to seek shelter. At this time, the Springfield
region offers 48 units (rooms) for immediate placement. One Door works to provide limited shelter
diversion assistance through support from local donations but the large majority of families have no
resources.
Mayor Bob Stevens has enacted a 60-day task force to identify solutions for homeless households
with children. A crisis shelter model will be discussed among other options to provide immediate,
short term shelter (30 days or less). The task force will focus efforts on families with low barriers to
housing stability.
Homeless Camp Outreach: The Springfield Affordable Housing Center and One Door were
called to assist in the relocation of two homeless camps during the month of September. Three
homeless individuals were assisted – one recently released from Cox hospital, one gentleman was
stranded in Springfield and was traveling back home to TN and one gentleman had been barred
from local shelters for men and had no options for housing. Outreach team members placed their
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belongings in storage at Veterans Coming Home and worked to identify resources to assist with
each situation. Survival kits were offered as well.
Hope Connection: Mercy Hospital has awarded $2,000 for sponsorship of the Hope Connection.
Funds will be used to purchase items needed for the foot and wound care area. Convoy of Hope
will be providing four pallets of water and 600 first aid kits for distribution. This is in addition to
the groceries and hygiene items offered to each guest in attendance. The Veterans Administration
has awarded $3,000 to provide backpacks to every veteran in attendance. Walgreens will provide up
to 500 flu shots for guests of the event.
NEEDS:
MOBILE VISION BUS SPONSORSHIP: We are in need of $650 sponsorship of the Mobile
Vision Bus that will come in from St. Louis. Funding will pay for fuel and lodging fees for the
driver. The vision bus is critical to meet the growing demand for eye exam services. Dr. David
Pierce coordinates this zone, bringing 4 doctors and a team of staff to provide eye exams,
prescriptions and fill the prescriptions for up to 150 guests who visit the event.
TOTE BAGS: We are in need of tote bags to provide to guests of the event. While this is a
SERVICE directed event, guests receive important paperwork and other items that need to be
carried throughout the event. We anticipate 850 guests this year.
PENS: We are in need of about 1,000 pens. Pens are needed throughout the event site, especially
at the intake tables.
Continuum of Care Report
HUD Grant Release: The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has released their
2015-2016 funding announcement. This year, Bonus Projects will be accepted for Permanent
Housing Projects and Rapid Rehousing Projects. The total amount of NEW funding available to
the Springfield Continuum of Care is $140,000. Applications are due November 20th, 2015.
Emergency Solution Grant Release; Continuum of Care staff have been working with the City of
Springfield to submit the 2016 Emergency Solution Grant application to the Missouri Housing
Development Commission. The City is writing for $150,000 to provide Emergency Shelter
(operating funds), Rapid Rehousing, and Homeless Prevention. The application is due October 23rd
and funding announcements will be released in early 2016.
Healthy Families
One Door Monthly Report:
During the month of September, 1505 requests for information or assistance were received at the
Housing Center. Of the 1505 contacts, 1136 crisis related and referred to One Door. 117
shelter/crisis assessments were completed, 33 of which had previously been assessed for shelter
and were again without a place to stay or in a housing crisis. 84 of the total assessments were new to
One Door. All assessments were completed in person at the One Door offices on a walk in basis.
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Requests for assistance by category:
Requests
Shelter
Housing
Rent
Utilities
Food
Transportation
Medical,etc.
Household Goods
Miscellaneous
September acceptance to shelter following assessment:
 38 females were assessed for Safe to Sleep
 1 family with children was provided a hotel voucher when no other options were available.
 44 households were assessed and referred to The Kitchen Inc.’s housing services, which
include emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing and Supportive Services for
Veteran Families.
Potential trends/Gaps in service/Issues to consider:
Family size: In September, 7 families with 5 or more in the family requested shelter or information
regarding shelter. These families tend to be harder to find shelter options due to their larger size.
Emergency Shelter for Families: Because of the lack of emergency shelter beds, families that
become homeless are subjected to staying with friends/family, places not meant for human
habitation, or soliciting money for motel rooms until they find themselves appropriate housing,
whether it is transitional or permanent. Also, many of the families are hesitant to utilize programs
like Isabel’s House or Empowering Youth Great Circle because they do not wish to split up their
household, whether it be because of fear the DFS will be contacted or due to sentimental reasons.
We feel that this constitutes a need for an emergency shelter, not just for single individuals, but
those with children, as well. An emergency shelter for families would offer a dignifying alternative
to the above options.
Transportation Needs: In September, 12% of our requests received were for transportation, which
includes, gas vouchers, in-town bus passes and out-of-town bus tickets. Only one agency in
Springfield provides Greyhound tickets, but only for deaths in the immediate family. Also, there are
only a few agencies that provide clients with city bus passes. These agencies will only hand them out
for verified healthcare appointments or for transportation to and from a job, if the client has not
received their first paycheck, yet. One Door has started working with Gathering Friends (a
homeless outreach organization) in offering two one-ride transit tickets for clients with verifiable
appointments. The appointments we are assisting with include medical/mental/dental, probation
and parole, SSA, treatment, and verifiable job interviews, plus a myriad of others. We are hoping
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this will begin to assist clients out of homelessness and/or preventing them from entering
homelessness.
Mental health issues: In September, 51% of all adults assessed identified as having a diagnosed
mental illness.
Lack of options for the physically disabled: Because of the lack of wheelchair accessible shelters,
it proves difficult to place families with physically disabled members.
Veteran assistance: During the month of September, One Door assisted 8 veterans with shelter,
locating rental or utility assistance, or referred them to appropriate veteran resources.
Narrative: 117 shelter assessments were completed in September resulting in 2 families placed in a
hotel, using hotel voucher funds when no other shelter options were available. Of the 117
assessments, 15 households with children or pregnant were referred to The Kitchen’s Emergency
Shelter and Salvation Army Family Enrichment Center, without immediate placement. One Door is
excited by the Mayor’s Taskforce on Crisis Sheltering. We believe, with the proper information and
support, this taskforce will provide an immediate solution to many of the families we serve. In
addition to this, One Door is ramping up a diversion program that would be able to provide
households with logical and effective solutions to the limited sheltering and housing resources in our
community. This program focuses of mediation and the locating of resources to prevent
households from entering the shelter system.
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