Community Report

St. Louis City/County
Area Resources for Community and Human Services

February 15, 2002

We are pleased to submit the attached Core Results Report in compliance with the new reporting requirements established by the Family and Community Trust.

Across the nation, hundreds of communities are engaging residents in a process to transform the way human and social services are delivered, financed and governed. More frequently known as community governance partnerships, these bodies are responsible for carrying out community initiated strategies developed to improve the lives of children and families.

Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS), as one of Missouri’s 21 Caring Communities Partnerships, is the nation’s largest community governance partnership.

ARCHS is dedicated to strengthening neighborhoods in the St. Louis City and St. Louis County Region.

The concept of ARCHS was framed in 1997 in response to a federal mandate to move individuals from welfare to work. Partnering with eight state agencies, ARCHS was expanded to achieve the six major goals/ core results of all Missouri’s Caring Community Partnerships.

The goals are:

 

Missouri’s Six Core Results

Children and Families Healthy Parents Working Young Children Ready to Enter School Children and Families Safe Children Succeeding in School Youth Ready to Enter Productive Adulthood

The basic premise of ARCHS is that neighborhoods are the place to offer ready access and availability of services and supports for families and children. Resident involvement is critical in the development and implementation of strategies designed to achieve positive results for each neighborhood.

ARCHS forms partnerships between neighborhoods and state agencies as its primary strategy to achieve the goals outlined above. Initiatives of ARCHS were developed as an avenue to provide services to the neighborhoods and families of St. Louis City and County. The initiatives are: Welfare to Work; Health; Sustainable Neighborhoods; Early Childhood Care and Education and Caring Communities.

The ARCHS’ Community Plan is developed through a citizen driven process. This means that citizen input is critical to ensuring that the plan appropriately addresses the needs of the community, that the plan is comprehensive and will effect the changes that will promote long-term good results, and that individual growth and development is promoted.

ARCHS also works with stakeholders to establish financing and delivery strategies that lead to measurable results. Through our 30 member Executive Board, our five working committees, one with as many as 200 members, our twenty-one Caring Communities Steering Committees and Caring Communities Advisory Board with a roster of more than 200 members, and nine Sustainable Neighborhoods Leadership Teams and Neighborhood Cabinet with more than 400 area residents represented in its governance structure, ARCHS enjoys the active participation of more than 1000 area residents on a continuous and structured basis.

In addition, ARCHS facilitates the involvement of other area residents through our community forums and town hall meetings. The planning process begins at the community level and the community is integrally involved in the development of strategies and the selection of area providers to implement the work. We believe in the concepts of “citizen-driven” and “local governance”, and have tried to personify these concepts through our structure and through our work. Given the opportunity and support, area residents are clearly their own champions for change.

ARCHS is committed to partnership. We know that it is only through a common vision, community planning, coordinated work and combined funding that positive results can be achieved for the region. Because of the energy and activities generated through the ARCHS Sustainable Neighborhoods and Caring Communities Initiatives, other area government and planning entities are joining with our efforts to take advantage of the strong community involvement, the service and resource partnerships, and the sustainability of efforts that these initiatives generate.

ARCHS partners with more than 375 area providers, local governments, and area funders to ensure that both funds and services are leveraged and accessible to help the community achieve its desired results. Through these partnerships, ARCHS has leveraged more than $3 for every state dollar, including Caring Communities and other state funds that we received. A remarkable feat for such a young organization!

Improving results for children and families requires a dramatic change in the way services are organized and delivered. Four policy directions shape and guide our work in systems reform to improve results:

• Accountability for better family outcomes
• Local decision making
• Access to comprehensive services, and
• Local financial investment

Any community endeavoring to build a local governance partnership encounters its fair share of challenges. For St. Louis, it was no different. Some of the challenges are not unique to St. Louis, while others reflect the community’s culture:

• Shrinking racial polarity in St. Louis
• Implementing citizen-based decision making
• Playing multiple roles (catalyst, facilitator, negotiator, negotiator, translator, problem solver and bridge)
• Assuming the “Parent Board” role for Caring Communities Site Councils

The most pressing challenge for ARCHS has been transitioning the St. Louis Caring Communities Program from a program to a strategy. Even in that, though, we are certain that by involving the community in a truly respectful and engaging manner where they have real opportunities for leadership, this too shall be accomplished.

Sincerely,

Maggie Hourd-Bryant
Interim Executive Director
Area Resources for Community and Human Services