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Mission Central provides social services to residents of Hurst, Euless and Bedford, Texas where more than 750 children in public schools are homeless. This grant request is for the Family Opportunities Program which provides critical family services to homeless/near homeless families. Under- and unemployment; lack of family support, transportation and childcare; health/mental health issues and shrinking governmental funds like long-term unemployment and SNAP benefits are affecting these families.
History and Purpose
Mission Central was founded in 1996 by caring members and staff of First United Methodist Church of Hurst, Texas to address the growing needs of families who are at the poverty level in the mid-cities area of Northeast Tarrant County, an area with a population of just over 136,000. In 2003, Mission Central became a separate 501(c) (3) social services, non-profit organization. Mission Central's purpose is to empower people in need to improve their own quality of life by providing support through emergency and long-term assistance programs. Over time, the focus of Mission Central has shifted dramatically toward programs that make a significant change in a family's ability to be successful through education and employment, empowering them to improve their own quality of life. Current services and programs are described below.
Current Services and Programs
Mission Central's services are free and include education programs for children and adults, the Family Opportunities Program to enable lasting change in families, assistance with food and clothing, and referral services. The Children's After School Tutoring Program serves 48 children in grades K-8 with one-on-one tutoring for one hour on a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Volunteers assist the children with homework, reading, and math. In the 2013-2014 school year, more than 80% of the children had A's and B's on their report cards. The Mid-Cities Pacesetters Rotary Club was instrumental in starting the Village Library children's program. Adult education programs at the Village Library include GED preparation classes with 10 adults currently enrolled. The pass rate for the GED exam in 2013 was 98%.
The Village Pantry served 1,804 duplicated families who got food 5,628 times in 2013. A total of 16,178 individuals received 226,544 pounds of food. Families are eligible to receive food six times a year. In addition, the Mobile Food Pantry served more than 420 families per month some of whom got food each time. An important part of the Village Pantry's operation is the intake interview with guests to determine what their needs are. Guests are often referred to other agencies or to the other programs of Mission Central. Emergency clothing is distributed through the Coat of Many Colors Resale Store. The Family Opportunities Program is described below.
Focus of Program or Project
The Family Opportunities Program is a case management program managed by a licensed social worker and designed to enable lasting change for families who are at risk. In the past eight years, the program has served 173 homeless/near homeless families. Currently, 30 families are being helped to regain employment, achieve education, and make progress toward stable housing/finances. Referrals to the program are received by social workers in the local school district, local police departments, other social services agencies and intake volunteers at Mission Central's Village Pantry. A Family Goals Plan is developed with each family who enters the program with continued financial aid contingent upon accomplishment of steps in the plan.
All families in the program utilize the Village Pantry. Many get food at the Mobile Food Pantry; enroll in the GED class or the Children's After School Tutoring Program.
In 2013, forty-two families were screened for the program. Data was collected on each family to record their Residential Stability Rating upon entry and exit into the program as well as to record information about household demographics. This data allows us to monitor and report progress toward self-sufficiency as families enroll and continue in the program. Family issues of significance were identified as food, employment, transportation, health and mental health care, and childcare. These issues are being addressed with each family on an individual basis.
Goals and Objectives
The overall objective for the program is to enable lasting change in the lives of families who are at risk instead of only providing emergency relief. Expected outcomes for each family in the program depend on the goals agreed to when they enter the program. Success of the program is measured in numbers of families who successfully complete the program. A successful experience for a family means that steps are achieved, goals are accomplished, and life is better. Examples of accomplishments are leaving domestic violence situations, gaining employment, furthering education, obtaining treatment for substance abuse or mental and physical health issues, and obtaining housing. Case management files are maintained which document each family's progress. Our primary goal for 2015 is to expand the number of families from 27 to 50 which will give more homeless/near homeless families an opportunity to become self-sufficient. Accomplishment of these goals will be tracked and measured by case work records developed, evaluated and reported by the Director of the program. Metrics for each family include the Residential Stability Rating form, the number of months in the program, average financial assistance that was provided, number of children in the family, characteristics of the head of household, city of residence, type of family issue (12 descriptors) and type of Mission Central services used.
The budget for the Family Opportunities Program in 2014 is $106,995. The budgeted amount expected from individuals is $1,000; from designated grants such as the Rotary Club is $15,000; from undesignated donations and grants is $61,196 and from revenue from the Coat of Many Colors Resale Store is $29,799. To date, undesignated donations from the two churches that support Mission Central are arriving on schedule, an undesignated grant for $20,000 is outstanding, and revenue from the Coat of Many Colors Resale Store is above budget expectations. Individual donations to the Family Opportunities Program are usually made during the Christmas season and are available in the following fiscal year.
Rotary Involvement
There are currently 2 members of the Mid-Cites Pacesetters, 1 member of the HEB Rotary Club and 1 member of the Southlake Rotary Club serving on Mission Central Metroplex Board of Directors. One of the Rotary members will be Chair of the Board in 2015. The Pacesetters and HEB Rotary Clubs provide volunteers for one on one tutoring for the Village Library operated by Mission Central which serves Kindergarten through 8th grade high-risk/low income students. The Clubs will also be working with the Family Service Program to see how vocationally we can offer free assistance with training or professional services.
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