Community Investments > Initiatives & Partnerships
Initiatives & Partnerships
In addition to making direct investments and administering third party and Federal grants, the Mental Health Board utilizes 2 other strategies in Community Investments - Initiatives and Partnerships. Initiatives are projects in which MHB takes the lead to bring together key stakeholders to address a significant community issue. Though some funding may be provided by MHB, the primary investment is staff time and leadership in order to increase coordination, communication, and collaboration among the various participants.
The Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse has been the Mental Health Board's longest standing Partner. In addition to the project listed on this page, ADA also partners in the investment of several of the Community Children's Services and Behavioral Health Investments - Big Brother's Big Sister's Mentoring Program, Discovering Options Elementary Prep Program, Living Word Apostolic Church Friends with a Better Plan Program, Preferred Family Relapse Prevention Mentoring Program and Queen of Peace Project PEACE.
Current Initiatives
St. Louis Empowerment Center
The nationally acclaimed St. Louis Empowerment Center is a consumer-run, self-help, drop-in program for people who are either suspicious of the behavioral health system or who feel that they were victimized by it. The Empowerment Center provides a safe and supportive environment for consumers to begin or to continue their recovery journeys. The Center is the only publicly-funded one of its type in the country.
For more information contact:
Ms. Helen Minth
Executive Director
3024 Locust
St. Louis, MO 63103 hminth@sbcglobal.net
Current Partnerships
Faith-Based Youth Groups
Partner: Lutheran Foundation
Purpose: To invest in projects that promote positive youth development that increase the chances that youth are avoiding undesirable behaviors and their consequences. This was achieved by awarding mini-grants for youth driven community service activities.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Child Care
Partner: United Way of Greater St. Louis
Purpose: To ensure that children from low income working families in the City are cared for in a high quality child care program by providing partial scholarships toward child care for low income working families that are not eligible for state child care subsidies.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Bullying Prevention
Partners: Incarnate Word Foundation, Lutheran Foundation, Catholic and Lutheran Elementary Schools in St. Louis City
Purpose: To expand the Comprehensive Bullying Prevention Model, Peaceful Solutions, from 2 Catholic schools to 18 Catholic and Lutheran schools in the City of St. Louis.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Parent Education
Partners: Incarnate Word Foundation, Lutheran Foundation, Catholic and Lutheran Schools in St. Louis City
Purpose: Expand the successful Elementary and Secondary School Coalition to include parents of all children grades K, 4, 6, and 9 attending 32 Catholic and Lutheran schools in the City of St. Louis and ensure that parents receive the information they need to develop skills for dealing with issues and challenges facing children as they proceed through various growth and development transitions.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Non-Public After School Programs
Partners: Incarnate Word Foundation, Lutheran Foundation, Pettus Foundation, Catholic and Lutheran Schools in St. Louis City
Pupose: To provide high quality after-school programs which are comprehensive and address the following domains of human development for non-public school children enrolled; intellectual, physical, social and affective.
Programming systematically incorporates:
- Academic Support/Creativity/Enrichment; (cognitive development);
- Physical Fitness, Recreation, Health and Nutrition; (psychomotor skills);
- Social/Life Skills (relationship skills, practical decision making);
- Emotional and Mental Health/Character Development; and
- Parental and family involvement to support and reinforce gains in some or all of these child development areas.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment
Partner: Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Purpose: To provide an adolescent substance abuse treatment program for youth 12-17 years of age.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Aging Out of Foster Care
Partners: Deaconess Foundation, Lutheran Foundation, Incarnate Word Foundation, Daughters of Charity &Trio Foundations, Missouri Foundation for Health, Commerce Bank, and Express Scripts
Purpose: To support youth ages 18-21 who have aged out of the foster care system to successfully transition to positive, productive adulthood.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Happenings 4-Youth Project
Partner: St. Louis for Kids
Purpose: To create a resource directory which will increase awareness and accessibility of City families to existing postive non-school hour youth programs and activities that will positively impact risk and protective factors in their lives.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
Public Education Coalition
Partner: Vision for Children at Risk
Purpose: To support the development and implementation of a Public Education Coalition in St. Louis. Public Education Coalitions are entities established for the express purpose of involving a wide range of community members - both individuals and organizations - in joint efforts to support and improve public schools.
To learn more about his partnership, click here .
Addictions Academy
Partner: Commited Caring Faith Communities
Purpose: To provide scholarships to clergy, lay leaders and congregation members of various faiths to attend an Addictions Academy at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. The Academy provides education on the topic of substance abuse and addiction.
To learn more about this partnership, click here .
MHB Partnership with SLPS for the Mental Health Project
Full Service Schools are an important response to the problems confronted by many children, families, and schools today. In its ideal state, a full service school is open to the community before, during, and after normal school hours, seven days a week, all year long. It is characterized by strong partnering with community service providers and the engagement of families, youth, school staff, and neighborhood residents in helping to design and implement activities and services. The primary focus is on the promotion of high educational achievement and positive youth development.
Additionally, the school is oriented toward the community, encouraging student learning through community service and service learning. A before and after-school learning component encourages students to build on their classroom experiences, expand their horizons, contribute to their communities, and have fun. A family support dimension helps families with child rearing, employment, housing, and other issues and problems. Medical, dental, and mental health services are readily available. College faculty and students, business people, youth workers, neighbors, and family members come together to support and bolster what schools are working hard to accomplish — ensuring young people’s academic, interpersonal, and career success.
Over time, the full service school consciously tries to integrate activities in several areas to achieve the desired results: quality education, positive youth development, family support, family and community engagement in decision making, and community development. In this process, the school emerges as a community hub, a one-stop center to meet diverse needs and to achieve the best possible outcomes for each child.
We in St. Louis have, begun this quest and this year will take special measures to strengthen the effort. Initially, all of the aforementioned attributes of a full service school will not be observable. However, it is envisioned that most, if not all of the characteristics mentioned will be existent in the not too distant future. We welcome and encourage your full participation in this exciting journey.
St. Louis Public Schools has targeted (13) district schools participation in the Community Education Full Service Schools program as follows:
- Bevo-Long
- Clay
- Ford
- Hamilton
- Lyon@Blow
- Mullanphy
- Nottingham
- Shaw VPA
- Sigel
- Stevens
- Vashon
- Walbridge
- Yeatman-Liddell
The contacts for the Full Service programs are: John Windom, Director - John.Windom@slps.org & Peg Pedersen, Community Education Supervisor - Peg.Pedersen@slps.org