Division Board Reports
May 2015
Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention
Resilient Children






Facilitated 122 PeaceBuilders sessions at Carthage schools grades K-4; sessions focused on selfesteem, individuality and honesty
Facilitated 34 Too Good For Drugs sessions at Carthage schools grades 5-6; sessions focused on
idealism and Driving Detective lessons
Facilitated Too Good For Drugs sessions at seven Carthage Junior High class periods reaching 489
students
Three drug prevention presentations to 53 SPS students and Greene County Juvenile Office youth
Assisted the Lawrence County Prevention Team in coordinating an underage drinking prevention
docudrama for 500 students at Aurora High School
Presented at two school assemblies at Steadley Elementary School in Carthage on making good
choices
Strong Neighborhoods & Communities








RSC staff provided the following trainings/presentations:
o One presentation on marijuana to 41 Springfield-Greene County Parks Department
employees
o Two Mandated Reporter trainings to 185 participants
o One Drug Endangered Children presentation for 76 foster parents
o One Responsible Beverage Service training to 98 Branson alcohol retailer employees
o One YMHFA training for 17 Springfield Boys & Girls Club staff
o One MHFA training for 29 participants in Joplin
Violence Free Families coordinated their annual Denim Day sexual assault awareness event, which
raised $2,757.17 and had 1,030 participants from 22 different organizations
Violence Free Families coordinated their 13th annual Foster Parent Appreciation Night at Wesley
United Methodist Church serving 76 foster parents and 118 children
Collaborated with six pharmacies in Springfield to host Medication Take-back events that collected
1,514 pounds of medication and served 500 people
The Task Force on Gangs and Youth Violence and Boys and Girls Club youth held a graffiti paint
out event, which covered graffiti at four sites in Springfield
Taney County ADAPT coordinated compliance checks in Branson, with 90 of 96 checks being
passed (94% pass rate)
SPD conducted two compliance check operations in Springfield, with 29 of 34 checks passed (85%
pass rate)
Assisted Safe & Sober Inc. with initiating efforts to develop an evaluation plan.
1 of 8
Early Childhood & Family Development
Resilient Children
CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System)
ECFD staff is preparing to attend the CLASS train the trainer training in Phoenix the second week of June.
This will enable us to provide training to educate our local providers on CLASS as well as to be reliable
observers in their classrooms. This training equips program leaders to provide continuous quality
improvement to preschool teachers thus improving the quality of teacher-child interactions and increasing
school readiness skills among Springfield’s children.
CPO-ECFD staff also completed our contracted service with Lighthouse Child & Family Development
Center for FY15 by making six coaching and/or review visits to 3 classrooms during the month. Staff
member attended the Desired Results Developmental Profile 2015 (DRDP 2015) training in Jefferson City
and then later in the month co-presented the DRDP2015 training to 38 teacher/providers in Springfield as
part of her Trainer re-certification process. The DRDP is an observation based assessment used with
children birth to kindergarten entry supporting kindergarten readiness. Use of the DRDP assessment is
mandated by DESE for recipients of Missouri Preschool Project grant funding and is highly recommended
for Preschool programs in public school settings.
Kindergarten Prep (KPrep)
Programming funded by CPO with dollars received from the Darr Family Foundation and developed in
collaboration with SPS Early Childhood – Wonder Years and Parents As Teachers – continued to be offered
in SPS Elementary Schools. KPrep has provided monthly parent-child interaction opportunities for children
within one year of kindergarten entry, focused on school readiness skill-building. May lessons focused on
basic math concepts and measurement. More than 300 children and their families have participated in KPrep
events since inception in October 2014.
School Readiness Kits (KKits)
Funded by a 2013 CFO grant, 750 assembled KKits have been distributed to Springfield pediatricians within
Cox, Mercy, and OCH health systems, along with SPS Parents As Teachers. Each includes 3 age-appropriate
books, crayons, pencil, glue, scissors, 25 activity cards, developmental checklists, and substance abuse
prevention information. KKits continue to be distributed at/around a child’s 3rd birthday and in
conjunction with well-child exams or through Parents As Teacher upon completion of a developmental
screening,
Healthy Families
Home Visitation
In collaboration with SPS-Parents as Teachers, twice monthly home visits continue for 10 high-need families
as part of the Baby & Me program. Additionally monthly group connections and play groups are hosted by
2 of 8
CPO. May’s group connection offered families a Parent Café experience and focused on protective factors
to strengthen families.
CPO received a notice of funding to continue the home visitation program in FY16, and a new work plan
was submitted to the state in May.
Parent Education
A collaboration between CPO, SGCHD, and Doula Foundation to provide an 8-week “Baby ABCs” course
continues and is reaching families by providing critical parenting information to high-need families at the
WIC offices each week. A extension of the class, “Pregnancy ABCs”, began in January 2015. Several
families have continued from the pregnancy courses into the baby courses with enthusiasm about the
information they are receiving. Grant funding from OHAF has provided safety kits to all families
completing the 8-week cycle of classes.
Strong Communities
Early Care and Education Collaborative
The Early Care & Education Collaborative met on May 19th and exchanged information about new
programming, pending legislation impacting early childhood in Greene County, as well as upcoming events.
Kindergarten Camp
CPO has successfully partnered with Missouri State University ECE/CFD program to recruit and place 16
pre-service teachers to serve as classroom aides in SPS summer school classrooms. These students will work
with certified teachers at school sites to decrease the student-teacher ratio and increase the opportunity for a
positive first experience with school. CPO has received numerous emails from SPS teachers and principals
in appreciation for that assistance.
Educare
Educare’s Early Childhood Specialists completed 47 visits, serving 58 child care providers within 31
programs in the month of May. Educare services have impacted more than 1087 children thus far in FY15
(7/1/14-5/31/15). The Educare Directors meeting was held in Jefferson City and three Educare staff
attending the meeting to hear information regarding changes in the NFO for FY16.
Big Rig Night
The 2nd Annual Big Rig Night is being planned for July 21st from 5:30-7:30 in the Battlefield Mall parking
lot. Community businesses are invited to park their “big rigs” in the parking lot to allow young children and
families the opportunity to explore. Organizations registered for previously cancelled Play Day will be
invited to offer activities and share information in conjunction with Big Rig Night.
3 of 8
Community & Neighborhood Development
Resilient Children



Caring Communities served over 1,172 students in 61 different afterschool clubs in Springfield and
Willard Public Schools. According to a post-test, 74% of students report a higher self-esteem and
60% report doing better in school.
Staff attended a meeting coordinated by Ozarks Literacy Council to collaborate with other
organizations and programs that are focused on literacy. The goal is to share ideas and resources so
more children can benefit.
The Missouri Customer Service program is preparing for its third cohort to begin in June. Currently 6
out of 11 students that are engaged in the Continuous Learning Community are employed. One of
the student is employed at McAlister’s Deli and has been approached about being on track for a
manager’s position in the near future.
Healthy Families



To help decrease food instability during this past school year, we assisted in 28 different mobile food
pantries sponsored by the Ozarks Food Harvest and Crosslines serving over 4,500 individuals.
To further increase families access to food we also served over 1,500 Springfield Public School
students through the backpack program in the 2014-15 school year.
The final Family Strong parenting event was held. Parents shared feedback on the program, which
was positive. The parents exchanged phone numbers so they could keep in touch over the summer.
Staff feel the mission, “to bring families together to share experiences, connect with others and learn
new strategies to build stronger, healthy and more resilient families. Plans will be made to continue
the program.
Strong Neighborhoods & Communities


The Neighbor for Neighbor program has been chosen as 1 of 6 communities across the United
States to participate in a research project through the Kettering Foundation and Every Day
Democracy. Representatives conducted a site visit in Springfield to interview and facilitate activities
with those involved in the program. Twenty-one current/past participants, facilitators and
community partners participated. A draft report of findings will be released in the fall of 2015.
The Tool Lending Library continues to increase memberships and the TLL is being actively used by
members. Currently there are 44 members, 12 of these being new members that joined in May.
Collaborative Board Report - May 2015
Child Abuse and Neglect Collaborative: The Child Abuse and Neglect (C.A.N.) Collaborative have been
approved to move to the second phase of the MFH grant application process. C.A.N. is requesting funds to
implement 3 years of the Triple P program. Triple P is a best practice parenting education program that has
shown to reduce the number of children entering the welfare system. The group also continues to work on
improving the capacity of the child welfare system, and efforts continue around recruitment and retention of
foster homes.
Environmental Collaborative: Environmental Collaborative: David Stokely from Senator McCaskill’s
office attended the Ozarks Clean Air Alliance and Environmental Collaborative meetings in May. Members
4 of 8
and Mr. Stokely discussed the workings and efforts of OCAA as well as the current status of air quality
standards, regulations and current and future challenges.
Housing Collaborative: The first True North Springfield meeting was held to discuss creating a website
that could promote alternative housing models in the neighborhoods. Many ideas beyond just promoting
alternative housing models were presented. The focus and goal of website is continuing to be discussed.
Healthy Living Alliance: The first HLA Advisory Council was held to discuss priorities and goals. It was
decided the core focus areas would be nutrition, physical activity, access to health care, and tobacco
consumption. HLA has also received Roadmaps to Health Action award for $10,000.
Impacting Poverty Collaborative: The Empowered for Life pilot has 11 single mothers that are
participating in this program, and following graduation they will be paired with mentors that will help them
achieve their individualized goals.
Safe & Sanitary Homes: The Safe & Sanitary Homes continues to receive referrals. There have been 33
referrals to this program since December 2014. Currently, 16 of these referrals are open cases.
Affordable Housing and Homeless Prevention Division
Strong Communities
Continuum of Care Report
The Homeless Youth Sub-Committee: Missouri State University has completed the High Risk and Homeless
Youth Survey Report which includes key data from 351 youth. This project, the fourth High Risk and
Homeless Youth assessment survey conducted since 2007, was developed and completed by the Homeless
Youth Subcommittee of Community Partnership’s Continuum of Care. While the full report will be released
at a press event in June, the survey shows that:
“Difficult family backgrounds appear to be the primary factors that contribute to young people being homeless on their own, while
developing a mental illness and running away likely are important secondary factors.”
Homelessness is often complicated and the issues are layered; we find the same with the youth homeless
population. Our Homeless Youth Subcommittee hopes that through the release of this report, our
community will more fully understand these complexities and work to protect our youth before they find
themselves on the streets with nowhere to go.
Housing and Urban Development Technical Assistance Provider: The Corporation for Supportive
Housing (CSH) has been selected by HUD to provide technical assistance to our Continuum of Care. CSH
provided a limited amount of support for our community earlier this year and we are pleased that they will be
continuing the effort to help us create a more solid governing structure, revamp our 10 year plan to end
homelessness and further establish our coordinated entry process. This assistance will begin in June 2015.
Homeless Missourians Information System (HMIS): The Continuum of Care is fortunate to work
closely with the Institute for Community Alliances (ICA) who guides our region in the implementation of
this HUD mandated data system. ICA is currently assisting our Continuum agencies with the negotiation of
service fees with our software company. New contracts will be in place by July 31, 2015.
5 of 8
Springfield Community Land Trust:
 The SCLT closed on its first multifamily units in May. The acquisition of two duplexes has created
the opportunity for the land trust to partner with another CPO program – the Missouri Customer
Service Program by offering decent affordable rentals for young adults, ages 17-21, have their high
school diploma or GED, have transitioned out of foster care to establish a positive rental history
with the support of a mentor.

The land trust also sold its 12th home this month a young couple that qualified as first time
homebuyers with a 72% Area Median Income.

The land trust is currently experiencing some adjustments as the realtor that has been working with
the SCLT for the past 18 months is moving out of state and rental growth has led to the search of a
new rental property management company.

The SCLT along with Habitat is sponsoring its first mini homeownership fair with an open house on
Tuesday June 16th to highlight agencies and programs that provide support for homeownership. The
fair takes place at the SCLT home located in the Grant Beach neighborhood at 1215 N. Missouri.
The mayor will read proclamation to celebrate and recognize the importance of homeownership in
our neighborhoods.
Healthy Families
One Door Monthly Report
1533 requests for information or assistance were received in May at the Housing Center. Of the 1533
contacts, 1063 crisis related and referred to One Door. 115 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.
82 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.
Requests for assistance by category:
Requests
Shelter
Housing
Rent
Utilities
Food
Transportation
Medical,etc.
Household Goods
Miscellaneous
6 of 8
May acceptance to shelter following assessment:

38 females were assessed for Safe to Sleep

1 family with children was provided a hotel voucher, as well as 2 families with disabilities, when no
other options were available. 1 family remained in a hotel at the end of May awaiting a shelter
opening.
Potential trends/Gaps in service/Issues to consider:
Family size: In May, 5 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 transitional housing/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 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 May, 13% of our requests received were for transportation, which includes, gas
vouchers, in-town bus passes and out-of-town bus tickets. This was the third highest category of the
requests we received, ahead of rent and utility requests. 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.
Mental health issues: In May, 51% of all adults assessed for shelter 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.
Discharge planning: In May, we completed several assessments on individuals that were directly released
from a hospital, whether psychiatric or otherwise. This poses a problem because the availability of shelter for
those released from a medical or psychiatric institution is limited, due to mobility issues or complications
caused by physical/mental illness. Most of the shelters in the area are not equipped with the staff or facilities
to house clients being discharged from a psychiatric or medical stay. A medical respite program for women
was started, but was only operating as a pilot program. They have received additional funding and opened on
May 4, which has been fortuitous because we were able to place two females in the program. However, this
only assists with female clients that have medical issues, not psychological.
Veteran assistance: During the month of May, One Door assisted 8 veterans with shelter, locating rental or
utility assistance, or referred them to appropriate veteran resources.
7 of 8
Narrative: 115 shelter assessments were completed in May resulting in 3 families placed in a hotel, using
hotel voucher funds when no other shelter options were available. We saw a drop in both assessments
completed and contacts received in the month of May. Even with this drop in assessments, the transportation
requests were our third highest behind shelter and affordable housing, beating out requests for rent and utilities,
which is not common. We believe this highlights, not only the need for more agencies to invest in
transportation assistance, but also the need for a centralized center, like the Springfield Affordable Housing
Center and One Door, which focuses on a more holistic approach to addressing the needs of the community.
Because the community lacks the funding to afford transportation, our center, being centrally located, assists
the community by bringing multiple agencies together under one roof. This offers the community with
tangible resources such as shelter access, housing counseling, food stamps approval, legal services, low cost
home ownership, etc. in a convenient location, whereas, without the existence of a center in this mold, the
community would have to travel all over Springfield to access these services.
8 of 8