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ONE-YEAR UPDATEWINTER 2017

IPC One-Year Update • 1

Dear Community Members,When the Impacting Poverty Commission issued a challenge to the community to help decrease the poverty trend in Greene County in October 2015, Mayor Bob Stephens proclaimed that the “consequences of doing nothing are just too great.”

Many issues weighed heavily on the minds of elected officials, business owners and citizens as the 2016 Presidential election loomed and a few key indicators of community health were headed in the wrong direction.

Citing poverty as a “red flag” issue for seven years in a row, experts compiling the annual Community Focus Report pointed to the fact that poverty “creates immense societal problems that our community must address, including rates of crime, domestic violence, substance abuse and educational attainment.”

So, our community focused on addressing the barriers that keep people living in poverty.

As is characteristic of the people of Springfield and southwest Missouri - Rotarians, Sertoma Club members, government officials, health care providers, churchgoers, residents, educators and business owners - people from almost all sectors of the community collectively said “enough”. And then, they mobilized.

More than 225 organizations have connected in some way with Zone Blitz activities, or taken steps in their own ways, to help lift up those in need. The momentum in our community to move the needle on poverty is incredible. Everyone is figuring out a way they can help make a difference. And we’re all working together to avoid duplication and fill in the gaps.

The City of Springfield’s Community Listen Zone Blitz initiative dived deep into Springfield’s historic, yet troubled northwest neighborhoods. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks raised $1.3 million in private money to launch the Northwest Project. The faith-based community rallied together with the City and the community’s extensive network of non-profit organizations to discuss, plan and collaborate. And we took action.

The Impacting Poverty Commission’s one-year update provides a high-level overview of some of the activities and initial results, following the 2015 IPC Report and Call to Action. It is not exhaustive, but does provide highlights of significant progress in addressing poverty and tracks prosperity indicators for which we have baselines.

Perhaps the most exciting news reported in the IPC update is the fact that Greene County’s poverty rate has actually decreased from 20.6% in 2014 to 17.7% in 2015.

This was the indicator the IPC selected to measure overall progress in our community in addressing poverty. As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in its annual Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), in December, the drop to 17.7% was the first drop in the percentage of Greene County residents living in poverty since 2009.

While this doesn’t necessarily mean recent anti-poverty efforts have already made a difference, it does provide encouragement and support for continued efforts to zero in on the root causes of poverty, including barriers to educational attainment and good-paying jobs. Many believe increased educational attainment and workforce development are the keys to linking people to higher paying jobs and to attracting those higher paying jobs to the community in the first place.

A significant need identified in the October IPC Report is the need for coordinated case management of populations of people living in poverty. It is a need that requires a coordinated entry system, which teams immediately began to work on. Progress on this front is detailed further in this report.

Overall, we are happy that the poverty rate is moving in the right direction and are optimistic that our continued work on a collective impact model approach will further that success!

Greg Burris Impacting Poverty Commission Co-chair

Gail Smart Impacting Poverty Commission Co-chair

Curb the growth and decrease the percentage of Greene County citizens living in poverty from 20% to 15% by 2025.Overall Goal:

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

20.6%

17.7%

2 • IPC One-Year Update

The Springfield Impacting Poverty Commission (IPC) was created by Community Partnership of the Ozarks in 2014 to study the causes and symptoms of poverty in the community. The IPC made recommendations in October 2015 on strategies to reduce poverty. Currently, 26% of individuals residing in Greene County, live at or below the federal poverty level. The IPC issued a community challenge to decrease that percentage by 5% by the year 2030.

The 30-plus-member Commission identified the following six focus areas: early childhood development and education, health, housing, jobs and economic climate, public safety and transportation.

Following the report’s release and an engagement by the National Resource Network (NRN), work began in earnest in 2016 to move toward building a collective impact model framework to address poverty. The collective impact model leverages the commitment of a group of key participants from different sectors to a common agenda for addressing a specific, complex social problem. Over the past year, Springfield leaders have embraced this model as a solution for creating a system for addressing poverty. Springfield has been praised for being “program rich” but criticized for being “systems poor.” The IPC, Zone Blitz, Northwest Project, Impacting Poverty Collaborative and other initiatives have adopted the model and have now begun working together as one network. This initiative is called Prosper Springfield.

Several efforts in 2016 have helped move the ball forward on collective impact model framework.

About 130 people attended a collective impact workshop led by national expert Paul Schmitz in September. Schmitz is CEO of Leading Inside Out, an organization that advances strategies that develop authentic, inclusive, and collaborative leadership; engages community members as partners in solving community problems; and helps diverse leaders and groups achieve greater impact together. He is also senior advisor to The Collective Impact Forum, a partnership of FSG and The Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions.

Convoy of Hope, the City of Springfield and Community Partnership of the Ozarks followed the collective impact model community event with a workshop for faith leaders. Representatives from more than 70 congregations participated. Those attending were presented with six different program options to get involved with.

The Continuum of Care, the group charged with ending homelessness in the region, brought in Julie McFarland, a systems change enthusiast with ten years of experience in homeless program delivery and leadership, and a senior program manager for Consulting and Training at CSH. Ms. McFarland is responsible for providing HUD technical assistance to communities nationwide. Prior to working for CSH, Ms. McFarland was a Division Director for a non-profit in King County, Washington, that was charged with launching and operating a coordinated entry system for families and young adults experiencing homelessness. She has developed and managed outreach, employment, shelter, rapid rehousing and supportive housing programming for families and young adults.

A complete list of the 2015 IPC recommendations is included in the Commission’s full report at impactingpoverty.org.

Introduction

Leadership for Collective Impact Workshop • Sept. 2016

Workshop for Faith Leaders • Nov. 2016

Curb the growth and decrease the percentage of Greene County citizens living in poverty from 20% to 15% by 2025.Overall Goal:

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

20.6%

17.7%


Education• College Savings Program: At the request of the IPC, a committee was formed to research how to implement a 529

College Savings Program in our community. The committee hopes to have a recommendation by mid-2017.

• Every Child Promise: Kindergarten Readiness: Every Child Promise is partnering in the community to address school readiness through a variety of targeted pilots. The pilot results include providing scholarships to more than 200 children to participating preschool sites within the Springfield area. Scholarship children are scoring above average (and better than their non-scholarship peers) on school readiness assessments. Additionally, a 3 BY 3 pilot campaign to encourage parents to have young children screened three times before age three is showing promise at identifying children needing additional help to reach developmental milestones. Results from the Mayor’s Commission for Children Kindergarten Readiness study are due out in early 2017, which will assess the community’s progress toward ensuring children are ready for kindergarten.

• Parents As Teachers Expansion in the SPS schools: Springfield Public Schools had 20 Parents As Teachers parent educators in 2013. That number increased by 6 in 2014, 6 in 2015 and 2 in 2016. The SPS School Board has further committed to add 2 additional PAT parent educators in 2017 and 2018 which will bring the number to 38, almost doubling the number of parent educators to better serve families of young children in our community. This integral support allows a more comprehensive approach to helping families within our community to access resources, understand their role as first educators, and ensure their children are prepared for school. We have built on that momentum with a 2015 Healthy Tomorrows HRSA Federal grant, which is designed to support the notion that regular preventive health is a key strategy for improving the health and well-being of children and families, while building relationships between families, Parents As Teachers and other early childhood support services and our pediatricians. According to Constance Gully, Interim President and CEO of Parents as Teachers, “We chose the Springfield community because of the incredible partnering between early childhood agencies in Greene County, all designed to help children learn, grow and develop to realize their full potential.”

• Early Childhood as a part of the SPS Strategic Plan: In a bold and unprecedented move, SPS included early childhood initiatives in their overall district strategic plan for 2016-17. The strategy of increasing access to early childhood education for students who are at-risk of not entering kindergarten at appropriate levels was placed under Goal #2 where each child would have access to engaging, relevant and personalized learning that will positively impact academic achievement and personal growth. Three measures were identified. Measure 1: Increased number of community events by 10% by 2020. Measure 2: Identify and train community pre-school and early childhood partners to increase the number of students ready for kindergarten by 2020. Measure 3: Increase the number of students ready for kindergarten by 2020.

• Springfield Project 2025 (Lumina Foundation Grant): In 2015, Springfield was named the newest cohort of the Lumina Foundation’s Community-Based Attainment Network. Lumina Foundation’s single focus is to increase the number of Americans with postsecondary credentials – a certificate or degree – to 60% by 2025. Springfield’s work with the Lumina Foundation allows partners like the City of Springfield, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Missouri State University, Drury University, OTC, Evangel University, Springfield Public Schools and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to take part in planning and programming that will specifically raise the degree and credential rate in our community, which is a vital component of our workforce readiness. Springfield received a Lumina Foundation grant to achieve this objective, and the initiative named Springfield Project 2025.


Housing• Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness

In 2015, the Springfield City Manager’s Office charged our local Continuum of Care (CoC), now called the Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness (OAEH), with developing a strategic plan to end homelessness in the Springfield/Greene, Christian, Webster CoC service area. OAEH engaged HUD- funded technical assistance through the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and completed a series of community sessions in June 2016 on topics critical to ending homelessness, including: - Alignment with the Federal Plan to End Homelessness - Addressing Permanent Housing Needs - Local Response to Unsheltered Population - Prioritization of Local Funding Resources CSH was charged with facilitation of four community conversations and provision of written recommendations based on feedback provided by expert panelists and the 110 stakeholders who attended the sessions. Each session was attended by 50- 75 people, including concerned citizens, advocates, people with lived homelessness experience, housing providers, housing developers, public housing authorities, healthcare representatives, service providers, funders, state/local planners, community leaders, landlords and media. From these community conversations, a set of 19 recommendations were made to the OAEH. These recommendations will help our community make the shift from an uncoordinated homeless delivery mechanism that works in silos without reliable data, to a coordinated system that uses consistent housing and service delivery standards and is data driven.

• Mayor’s Task Force on Crisis Sheltering and New Diversion Program The Mayor’s Task Force on Crisis Sheltering for Families convened in late 2015 in response to the high number of families with children without a safe place to stay and seeking assistance through the One Door Program. These families were staying in places not meant for housing, doubled up, or recently evicted from housing. Co-chaired by Charlie O’Reilly and Lynn Thompson, the Task Force brought together 30 local champions who focused on creating both immediate and long term solutions to this critical issue. After in-depth research on community capacity and national best practices, task force members recommended the creation of a formalized Shelter Diversion program. This diversion allows for limited bed space at our local shelters to remain open for those who need more intensive services. With funding from Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Musgrave Foundation, CPO launched a Shelter Diversion pilot in February 2016 and institutionalized the program under One Door in July 2016. During the pilot, the program helped 33 families with 72 children avoid moving into emergency shelter by connecting them with resources and affordable housing options. Our business community has risen to the challenge set forth by Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Thompson, helping raise funding for a three-year period to fund an additional position and to provide flexible crisis funding to assist with diversionary practices. In response, the City of Springfield also committed funding for one full time position in the FY 2017 budget. The program has currently outgrown its current facility and is actively looking for a new location.


Transportation• Transportation Task Force Update

The IPC asked CPO to form a Transportation Task Force to research transportation options and provide recommendations to address some or all of the transportation-related challenges and barriers of the under-resourced in our community. In early 2016, CPO convened a Transportation Task Force made up of public and private sector members who met for a period of six months and researched the following areas: transportation barriers and challenges faced by the under-resourced; current initiatives and community plans; transportation options and best practices; and the Ozarks Transportation Organization’s proposed rapid transit bus corridor pilot project. The Task Force released its formal Report & Recommendations to the CPO Board in August and to the Impacting Poverty Commission and the general public in September. Realizing the complexity of reducing poverty and eliminating barriers faced by those experiencing it, the Task Force’s recommendations hone in on several short-term programs that offer a variety of alternatives that go beyond the transit system to alleviate transportation burdens while, at the same time, promote self-reliance, health, and social engagement. These recommendations also focus on changing attitudes and culture to reduce the stigma of public transportation as well as finding a champion for transportation in the Springfield area—someone to create the urgency, momentum, and political will required to affect systemic change. Since the release of the Report, CPO has been asked to develop a Transportation Collaborative that will move forward with the action items and recommendations from the Transportation Task Force. This new Collaborative will begin meeting in early 2017.


Community Awareness and Civic EngagementSince the Impacting Poverty Commission issued its report in October 2015, awareness about the need to address poverty in the Springfield community has dramatically increased. This awareness has led to unprecedented levels of engagement and coordination of efforts to addressing barriers to opportunities.

City Manager Greg Burris and City Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott have made more than 50 presentations to civic groups, churches and other organizations requesting information. These groups have done more than listen – they have signed on to help and to coordinate with others in doing so. Across the community, hundreds of individuals have assisted with Zone Blitz, Impacting Poverty Commission and other service projects to help lift others up, as a direct result of this awareness.

One random day in October, more than 1500 individuals performed service projects in northwest Springfield. Parkview High School hosted a school-wide day of caring and Habitat for Humanity organized a “Rock the Block” neighborhood cleanup in Woodland Heights neighborhood.

Significant media attention has continued to shine a light on the barriers people living in poverty face and the opportunities for positive change. As word spreads, more members of the community have become engaged in problem solving and in direct assistance.

Case ManagementThe IPC recommended that the community apply additional resources to address the causes of poverty. This approach requires case management as a primary strategy. An action item detailed a need to develop a comprehensive, coordinated case management system to help move the under-resourced out of poverty and into self-sufficiency. Over the past year, a Case Management Work Group, including 30 agencies who offer case management services, began working together. The group is developing a case management system (Coordinated Case Management Network--CCMN) which will be available community-wide for service coordination and accountability that ensures the client’s rights. This collaborative system will assess, plan, implement, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the options and services required to meet the client’s health and human service needs. Characterized by advocacy, communication, training, and resource management, it will promote quality and cost effective interventions and outcomes. The CCM Network has also agreed to use the same software system as the local Continuum of Care so we have one community database system.

In conjunction with the work of the Case Management group, a Common Software Work Group has identified Service Point as the proposed community database system. The group hosted a demonstration of the system for agencies in the CCM Network and will launch a pilot with 5-10 agencies in early 2017.


Pilot InitiativesTwo major pilot initiatives are underway to address multiple facets of poverty. The Northwest Project is a five-year pilot funded by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, aimed at lifting 200 families out of poverty. The Zone Blitz is an 18-month pilot, focused geographically in the City’s northwest quadrant: City Council Zone 1.

The Northwest Project The Northwest Project (NWP), was created by the Drew Lewis Foundation at The Fairbanks, Missouri State University and Drury University and is designed to assist participants in attaining 10 essential assets. The NWP officially kicked off at the Fairbanks in Grant Beach on May 19, 2016, with its first group of participants. A second group of participants was added

this fall. So far the NWP has reached 61 individuals in 17 families.

Organizers have found participants’ highest needs often revolve around finances, dental, and employment assistance. Participants are provided intensive one-on-one financial education , short-term consolidation assistance, as well as long-term support to increase their credit scores. Partnerships were made with area dentists. Life 360 and Schweitzer United Methodist offered Jobs for Life training for participants and parenting training is also provided weekly.

Moving forward, organizers plan to expand to three neighborhoods in the next year: Robberson (at Robberson Community School), Woodland Heights (at the Dream Center), and Heart of the Westside (at York Elementary School). With only a few months of programming, there has been increased excitement and involvement in the Grant Beach community through involvement with businesses, schools, and churches seeking to partner and join forces with the NWP. The most recent addition is a new partnership with Springfield Public Schools .“One Church, One Family” partners churches with families to help meet specific physical needs.

Community Listen Zone BlitzIn Spring 2015, City officials and representatives from more than 35 organizations, embarked on a listening tour in the City’s northwest quadrant, Zone 1. The group visited nine neighborhoods and gathered input on what residents would most like to see changed in their particular neighborhoods. What followed was the Zone Blitz. The main purpose of the

18-month pilot project in Springfield’s northwest quadrant is to identify and address barriers that prohibit residents from living to their full potential. More than 120 organizations signed up as partners, with several hundred individuals pitching in to participate in more than 60 projects.

The long-term goal of the Zone Blitz is to take what is learned, apply it to a larger geographic area in the community and roll those findings into a plan that aligns with the Impacting Poverty Commission’s recommendations.

Community Listening Tour • May 2015 Official Community Listen Zone Blitz Launch • July 2016


CHRONIC NUISANCE PROPERTIES • City Council approved a Safe Housing Inspection Pilot

Program, consisting of a three-month initiative to study and find better ways to ensure public safety against life-safety issues.

DIGITAL DIVIDE• The City and Springfield-Greene County Library District

and Springfield Public Schools met to discuss ways to raise funds for additional wireless devices for students and library patrons.

• The Zone Blitz Communication team began promoting low-cost home Internet access programs.

• SPS issued hot spots to students lacking Internet access at home.

FOOD ACCESS• The Food Access team continues to investigate the

feasibility of a community food resource center located in Zone 1 and a mobile food market. Members of the team traveled to Tulsa to look at a model there.

HEALTH CARE• Springfield-Greene County Health Department expanded

its Community Health Advocate Program, The program focusing on assessing blood pressure and connecting individuals to resources, such as primary care and community gardens.

• CoxHealth began a community paramedics program in Zone 1 and provided $17,500 in kind and financial support to Convoy of Hope Springfield May 7 event.

• CoxHealth provided $60,000 of infill cost for the Missouri Job Center North Springfield location in the Cox Medical Tower.

• Mercy hired a community health worker to connect with frequent uninsured emergency department utilizers in the northwest quadrant of Springfield and help them through the process of finding a primary medical home.

• Mercy will host two community medical clinics at the Dream Center in the Woodland Heights neighborhood. The clinics will provide no-cost wound care, diabetes, women’s health, asthma management in addition to providing mammograms and other health screenings throughout the year.

HOUSING• Each month, Mercy’s new community health worker will

collaborate with the Springfield Greene County Health Department community health worker to select a project for Mercy’s Projects and Design team. The team will provide in kind volunteer labor and materials for a repair on a home that impacts the life and health of someone in Zone 1.

• City Utilities, City of Springfield, OACAC and Oak Star Bank teamed with Alice 95.5 for an awareness campaign about Project Share, a fund that assist people with utility costs. A one-day event in Dec. raised $7000.

JOBS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT• The Missouri Job Center opened a northside location

inside Cox Medical Tower, 1443 N. Robberson.• The Missouri Job Center obtained a $129,000 grant and

launched a multi-trade pre-apprenticeship program. • The Missouri Job Center and Ozarks Technical

Community College (OTC) obtained a $3 million America’s Promise Grant, which will provide no-cost, four-year tuition to OTC for 372 students in the allied health field.

• The Missouri Job Center obtained a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program to provide job opportunities to residents of some of Springfield’s most underserved neighborhoods. The grant will be used to recruit, train and place local unemployed and underemployed individuals in full-time, sustainable, green jobs in a range of environmental fields.

PUBLIC SAFETY• Springfield Police Department increased patrols and

enforcement in Zone 1, adding a foot patrol squad within specific areas in Zone 1 neighborhoods

• Springfield Police Department encouraged the addition of security cameras within Zone 1 and set up a process for registering those with the department.

• Springfield Police Department increased efforts to get citizens enrolled in Block Watch and Citizens Alert Patrol programs.

TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE• Springfield Public Works has committed to investing $8

million in infrastructure updates in Zone 1 during the 18-month blitz.

• Nearly 3000 linear feet of sidewalks have been added near York Elementary, with an additional 13,700 linear feet planned for construction in early 2017.

• Several stormwater improvement projects have begun, including one on Turner Street, one addressing the Talmage and in the Homeland Subdivision.

• Progress has been made on several streetscape projects.

WELLNESS• More than a dozen organizations and individuals, led

by Springfield-Greene County Park Board, convened to both develop a catalogue of current low and no-cost extracurricular activities for Zone 1 children and coordinated a variety of new, free activities.

Zone Blitz Key Progress Points


Sampling of Independent InitiativesOne of the exciting things that has happened since the 2015 release of the IPC Report and Call to Action, is continuing development of programs and services to help fill the gap in needs identified by the IPC and other groups. The following information contains highlights of unique independent initiatives addressing the barriers residents face in getting out of poverty.

State of the Workforce Survey The Ozark Region Workforce Development Board partners with the City of Springfield, Missouri Job Center, and area Chambers of Commerce for an annual regional survey. The State of the Workforce Survey focuses on local business owners, human resource representatives, and managers to identify the issues, challenges, and trends across the seven county Ozark Region: Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk, Stone, Taney, and Webster. Survey results are utilized by the City of Springfield’s Department of Workforce Development, Ozark Region Workforce Development Board, Area Chambers of Commerce, and a variety of local partners to determine where efforts should be focused and funds should be allocated. Previous survey results led to the creation of the Industry Roundtable Discussion series to further discuss issues within the Construction, Healthcare, Information Technology, and Manufacturing industries, which in turn have led to several training programs and grants addressing local needs.

The 2015 and 2016 survey results are available at springfieldmo.gov/MOmentum. The third annual State of the Workforce Survey was released October 18, 2016 and will remain open at WDB2017.com until January 9, 2017. Survey results are released at the annual MOmentum: State of the Workforce Luncheon in February.

HELP Program: Assistance with Home Repair and WeatherizationIn 2016, the City and several community partners expanded a federally-funded program that provides emergency loan funds and assistance to low-to-moderate income homeowners.

The Homeowner Emergency Loan Program (HELP) provides funding and assistance for critical home repairs. These repairs are meant to allow residents to be able to remain in their homes and where possible, increase energy efficiency to lower utility costs. Inability to afford utility costs is among the top reasons people are forced out of their homes.

Working together, partners City of Springfield, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Council of Churches of the Ozarks - Connections Handyman Service, Habitat for Humanity and Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC) are able to leverage the federal funds with local dollars and expand the availability of federal dollars by addressing home repairs that are required before federally funding applies.

HELP provides direct funding for improvements in the form of forgivable loans or referrals to partner agencies for alternative assistance opportunities. Federal funding is made possible by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG).

Eden Village: Homes for the homelessA Springfield charity announced plans in November 2016 to create a community that’s the first of its kind in Springfield. The Gathering Tree, a local non-profit, is building Eden Village, a gated community with 30 tiny houses for chronically disabled homeless individuals.

Dr. David Brown and his wife Linda co-founded The Gathering Tree in 2010. The Gathering Tree is a drop-in center offering hospitality to Springfield’s homeless community on weeknights at Vineyard Church in downtown Springfield.

The Browns raised $90,000 in private donations for a down payment on property at 2801 E. Division St. Judy Huntsman with Coldwell Bankers donated $33,000 to build the first of 30 homes and her team of agents and staff have pledged to furnish the first home.

Eden Village residents will pay $300 a month, utilities included. Additional amenities and services provided onsite will help connect residents with social services needed to eventually leave the village.

The Browns describe the project as belonging to the community. They consider themselves the conduits helping solve the problem of homelessness. According to Greendoor.org a homeless person can cost a community more than #30,000 a year from ER visits to jail time


Hack 4 Good focuses on connecting homeless individuals to vital resourcesOn Dec. 9, 2016, dozens of app developers, data experts, and civic hackers came together at Springfield’s eFactory to help address barriers to opportunity in the Springfield region.

As part of an annual event hosted by the Mid-America Technology Alliance, Hack 4 Good, teams competed to “hack” together in 24 hours an application that:

1. Connects the homeless to vital resources2. Connects volunteers in real-time to meet the needs of the homeless community.

While every homeless person’s story and circumstances are different, it is common for either them or someone in their micro-community to have a smart phone where they can use free WiFi from various places all over the Springfield area to stay in contact and look for resources.

Many different civic organizations provide and curate resources available to the homeless, but there currently is not a centralized way to make them available or to reach out to members of the homeless community.

The #hackpoverty Hack4Good was sponsored by the City of Springfield, Missouri Job Center and Drury University.

Council of Churches of the Ozarks Resource SpecialistCouncil of Churches of the Ozarks created a new Community Resource Specialist position in order to become an integral part of a city-wide system to meet the needs of families in crisis. The Crosslines employee will offer case management assistance in order to link with other service providers and to access resources for individuals and families.

Dream CenterThe Dream Center is an independent nonprofit housed in what is now the Hamlin Memorial Baptist Church at 829 W. Atlantic, in the heart of Zone 1 (the northwest quadrant of Springfield). Hamlin gifted the 53,000 square-foot building after hearing about North Point Church’s vision for the building. The Dream Center is a community hub, located in the area of the city where a large number of organizations are working together to alleviate poverty. The Dream Center will help “fill gaps for families,” Jody Glazner, North Point Church Give Back director, said, by eventually providing education, child care, a food pantry, parenting resources, employment and job training resources, community dinners, oil changes, haircuts, and kid and youth programs. Various internal remodeling projects are needed to convert the existing space into more usable space.

Habitat for Humanity Neighborhood RevitalizationHabitat for Humanity’s mission is to create successful homeownership by partnering hardworking families in need with the community to build and repair homes, making them healthier and more affordable. The Neighborhood Revitalization program, focused in the Zone 1 Woodland Heights Neighborhood, allows Habitat to intensively work within a neighborhood to meet resident needs and aspirations, ultimately improving the quality of life for not only residents of these neighborhoods, but for the city as a whole. It is an approach to serve more families by responding to community goals with a variety of products, services and partnerships that enable residents to revive their neighborhoods and enhance their quality of life.


Prosperity Indicators Target: Fall 2025

Early Childhood Development & Education

Missouri state statutes allow local communities to hold elections to fund early childhood development initiatives:

2015 & 2016: NO TARGET: YES

No policy changes have been noted. A State of Missouri Amendment however was proposed in 2016 to increase cigarette taxes to fund early childhood education (Amendment 3). This amendment did not pass. Source: Missouri General Assembly

Pre-Kindergarten Readiness:

70 80 90 100Target: 80%2015: 72%

Current: Unknown. The Mayor’s Commission for Children’s Kindergarten Readiness Study was recently implemented. Updated statistics for 2016 are anticipated in spring 2017. Source: Every Child Promise

100%85%70%60%

Percentage of Springfield Public Schools’ graduates that are college-bound:

TARGET: 75%2015: 71.3%

Current: 4 year University: 39.7%; 2-Year: 26.5%; Tech School: 4.9% (a combined 66% or 71.1%). Less than a percent decrease was noted in this statistic, indicating very little (if any statistically significant) change from 2015 to 2016. In addition, it is significant to note that at the request of the IPC, a committee was formed to research how to implement a 529 College Savings Program in our community. The committee hopes to have a recommendation within the first six months of 2017. Source: Springfield Public Schools

Percentage of 11th-12th grade priority population receiving post-secondary education or credentials:

20 40 60 100TARGET: 60% 2016: 67.2%

Previous: Not available. The above statistic reflects those that enter 4yr or 2yr college or Universities. It does not reflect those that the complete 4yr or 2yr college/University degrees. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), approximately 56% of those that enter US Colleges and Universities obtain credentials or degrees. If utilizing such a percentage and if such a percentage is in any way reflective, the figure of those completing 4yr or 2yr college degrees is likely close to 37.6%. Source: Lumina Foundation Grant Steering Committee


Health

70% 85% 95%

Percentage of those eligible for SNAP registered for SNAP:

TARGET: 100%2015: 71%

Current: Unknown/No Change The University of Missouri, the source that provides this information, is currently re-evaluating their measurement processes for this indicator. Therefore, no current data for 2016 is available for inclusion. Current (2016) information is anticipated by spring 2017. It is significant to note that both the Zone Blitz Food Access Subcommittee as well as the Impacting Poverty Collaborative have been working on increasing SNAP enrollment in 2016. (Source: Ozarks Food Harvest/Impacting Poverty Collaborative) Source: Ozarks Food Harvest

Medicaid expansion in Missouri:

2015 & 2016: NO TARGET: YES

General Medicaid Expansion in the State of Missouri (as a companion to the Affordable Care Act) has not occurred and it is unknown if Medicaid will be expanded as potential changes to the ACA may occur. It is significant to note, however, that Gov. Jay Nixon signed legislation in June, 2016 that is anticipated to expand Medicaid eligibility for Missourians who are elderly or living with a disability. Source: Missouri General Assembly

90%70% 95%

Primary healthcare access (as percentage of population):

TARGET: 100%2015: 85%

Current: 2016 Updated Statistics Not Yet Available Source: www.swmocounts.org

95% 75% 85%

Percent of local population insured:

TARGET: 100%2015: 78% 2016: 82.5%

This percentage increase reflects data from 2010-2014 as reported by the US Census Bureau, American Community Survey. 2016 data is not yet available. (Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey) Source: www.swmocounts.org

5% 25% 10% 0%

Emergency room visits (no insurance):

TARGET: 10%2015: 19.6% 2016: 19%

The 2016 data provided is the average of CoxHealth and Mercy Health system data as of November, 2016. While the figures are similar to those collected in 2015, it is possible that the implementation of the ACA has reduced this percentage over the last 10-12 months.Source: CoxHealth and Mercy


Housing

0%35% 10%55%

Springfield Public Schools - Student mobility:

TARGET: 35%2015: 53.5%

The level of student mobility within Springfield Public School’s district ranges from 21%-127.9%. Student Mobility remains an indicator of poverty as individuals and families live in the places where they can afford to live. Many of those in poverty, in an attempt to decrease monthly expenses or avoid rent hikes, move frequently to maintain a specific housing payment that they can afford. Low-income neighborhoods are therefore likely to have high rates of student mobility as families move to new neighborhoods or into different areas of the community. Source: Springfield Public Schools

80%50%

Percentage of crisis shelter needs being met (assuming 60-day turnover rate):

TARGET: 100%2015: 54% 2016: 68%

The Mayor’s Task Force on Crisis Sheltering, as well as the efforts of the One Door Affordable Housing Center that is able to coordinate housing resources for families in one location, has made a demonstrated improvement in housing those already homeless, at risk of homelessness, or on the verge of homelessness. Source: Affordable Housing Center (One Door)

Jobs & Economic Climate

15% 60% 30% 0%

Springfield Public Schools - Free and reduced lunch (determined by income level):

TARGET: 30%

2015: 55%

2016: 54.4%

Individual school percentages range by school from 16.1%-95.1% Source: Springfield Public Schools

95%85%65%

Median household income: Springfield vs. State of Missouri:

TARGET: 100%

2015: 68% ($32,333)

The current State of Missouri median household income (2015) is $47,764. Despite a bit of an increase in reported local salaries for 2016, the percentage as compared to the State of Missouri remains unchanged. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

2016: 68% ($32,473)

93%85% 98%

Median hourly wage (all occupations): Springfield vs. State of Missouri:

TARGET: 100%

2015: 90% ($14.25/hr)The median hourly wage in the United States is $23.23 and the State of Missouri median hourly wage for all occupations is $16.05. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

2016: 90.4% ($14.52)


0%10% 7%

Unemployment Rate:

2015: 5.1%

TARGET: 5% 2016: 4.8%

Although unemployment rate is slightly below the national average of 4.9%, the poverty level in Springfield is at 26.4% compared to the national average for cities at 14.5%, indicating that Springfield has a large percentage of population that would be considered among the ‘working poor.’ Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

$300 $600 $800$200

Increase of state childcare subsidy to median of surrounding states:

4-year-oldTARGET: $560

4-year-old2015: $313

1-year-old2015: $573

1-year-oldTARGET: $713

Current: Unknown/No Documented Change. The current State Fiscal year (SFY) 2016 subsidy is $172,191,119 with a projected SFY 2017 to be around $189,000,000—an approximate 10% increase or $17 Million. It is unclear, however, at this time how this increase will be distributed. Source: National Women’s Law Center

80% 100%50%

Labor force participation rate within the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA):

TARGET: 70%

2015: 63%

65%

2016: 65.4%

This statistic may reflect a decreasing unemployment rate as noted in the unemployment rate indicator. Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve

Public SafetyNumber of domestic violence assaults:

TARGET: 2,5602015: 2,695

It is significant to note that a potential increase in reported domestic violence incidents over time does not necessarily indicate an increase in the amount of domestic violence that is occurring within homes. Given the traditionally considered ‘private’ nature of such crimes, as well as the risk of retaliation by perpetrators if/when reported, an increase in reported incidents may communicate an increase in trust in civic institutions and corresponding increase in the willingness of concerned citizens to report such crimes. Inversely, a decrease in such statistics also does not necessarily indicate a decrease in the number of incidents that are occurring. The target is a 5% reduction from the base line year of 2015. Source: Springfield Police Department

2016: 2,8823,000 2,5002,6002,900


Number of property crimes:

2015: 13,008

TARGET: 12,358

2016: 14,250

The figure above reflects the number of propery crimes reported in Springfield city limits. The target is a 5% reduction from the base line year of 2015. Source: Springfield Police Department

TransportationReport and recommendations available from Transportation Task Force:

2015: NO 2016: YES

The Impacting Poverty Commission asked Community Partnership of the Ozarks (CPO) to form a Transportation Task Force to research transportation options and provide recommendations to address some or all of the transportation-related challenges and barriers of the under-resourced in our community. In early 2016, CPO convened a Transportation Task Force made up of public and private sector members who met for a period of six months and researched the following areas: transportation barriers and challenges faced by the under-resourced; current initiatives and community plans; transportation options and best practices; and the Ozarks Transportation Organization’s proposed rapid transit bus corridor pilot project. The Task Force released its formal Report & Recommendations to the CPO Board in August and to the Impacting Poverty Commission and the general public in September. Realizing the complexity of reducing poverty and eliminating barriers faced by those experiencing it, the Task Force’s recommendations hone in on several short-term programs that offer a variety of alternatives that go beyond the transit system to alleviate transportation burdens while, at the same time, promote self-reliance, health, and social engagement. These recommendations also focus on changing attitudes and culture to reduce the stigma of public transportation as well as finding a champion for transportation in the Springfield area—someone to create the urgency, momentum, and political will required to impact systemic change. Since the release of the Report, CPO has been asked to develop a Transportation Collaborative that will move forward with the action items and recommendations from the Transportation Task Force. This new Collaborative will begin meeting in early 2017. Source: Ozarks Transportation Organization

Philanthropy% of Greene County residents’ income donated to charitable causes:

2015: 4.36%2% 3% 4% 5%

Target: 4.7%2016: 4.27%

Source: How America Gives survey

$1,500,000$1,000000

$500,000$0

Dollar amount donated during annual Give Ozarks campaign to support local charities:

2015: $1,021,185 2016: $1,185,806

2016 Give Ozarks giving represents an increase of approximately 14% compared to 2015 giving. Source: Community Foundation of the Ozarks

15,000 12,00012,60014,400


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