Community Partnership

Community & Capacity Building

Through partnerships with the City, the County and community and regional organizations, we bring needed people to the table, develop solutions, and help secure resources to address emerging community issues and concerns. While much of our work is in conjunction with specific grants and contracts, a great deal of our work is done outside of these. Staff and volunteers serve on many groups, including the Crisis Nursery and Community Focus Report Steering Committees, SW Missouri Council of Government, Urban Neighborhood Alliance, the Association for Education of Young Children, and the Missouri Department of Mental Health State Advisory Council. Serving on these committees allows us to glean new ideas from others, share our expertise, and keep our pulse on the issues and needs of our community.

This year, through our work with GIS (Geographical Information Systems), we assisted community groups in obtaining data to guide in decision making. We worked to coordinate Mandated Reporter training; facilitated community-wide awareness and training on emerging gang and youth violence issues; worked closely with the Junior League on the Crisis Nursery project; with the City and County on Ice Storm recovery efforts; and developed new partnerships and resources to address the red flags identified in the Community Focus report. With the Mayor's Commission on Children and Burrell Behavioral Health, we co-authored the application for the 100 Best Communities for Youth in America award. Assisting organizations, agencies and individuals in building capacity remains a priority for the Partnership. United Way of the Ozarks, the City of Springfield and Community Foundation of the Ozarks all provide funding to help support these efforts.

• Council of Collaboratives
• Caring Communities - an initiative in 19 neighborhoods and 17 schools in north and central Springfield
  • Schools
  • Neighborhoods
  • Caring Communities Staff List
  • GED/Adult Education Class
  • Neighborhood-Based Initiatives
  • Family Support
  • Financial Literacy
  • Employment Initatives
  • School-Linked Programs
• Heart of the West Side Coalition
  • Heart of the West Side Marketing Group
• Continuum of Care
  • Chronic Homeless
  • Discharge Planning
  • HIMIS
  • Evaluation
  • HUD Steering Team
• Education Collaborative
• Environmental Collaborative
  • Air Quality
  • Water Quality
  • Population Growth
  • Community Health
  • Community Report Team
• Healthy Community Collaborative
• Housing Collaborative
  • Case Manager Training
  • Housing Trust Fund
  • HOWsing Subcommittee
• Senior Link
  • Senior Link Speaks
  • Senior Transit
  • Healthy Senior
• Transportation

Community & Capacity Building

At the heart of the Partnership is the belief that facilitating positive change, while building the capacity of organizations, agencies and individuals, will lead to long-term measurable outcomes. Community and capacity building is about using ideas and resources in new ways to strengthen communities and the residents that live there. As good stewards of our ever shrinking federal, state and local resources, we recognize that community and capacity building is not a luxury, but a necessity.

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Children & Child
Well-Being

More than two-thirds of America's young people ages 6-17 are not receiving enough of the Five Promises to be confident of success. Too many are not ready to enter school and fail once they enter, are physically unfit, engage in negative behaviors, or are a victim of abuse and neglect. We must do more!

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Alcohol, Drug & Violence Prevention

The Partnership's roots lie in violence prevention and efforts to reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse. These problems evolved over decades, and changes in attitudes and behaviors do not happen quickly. Yet, our local and regional programming has made a difference.

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