2020 ANNUAL REPORT
“Coming out of prison the second time, I focused on getting straight into the employment world. I invested myself in Mission: St. Louis, which in reality is investing in myself. I’ve only ever needed a chance and they all provided that for me.”
- Lawrence
2020 GOALS
help our neighbors
Goal: Complete the grant goal of serving 100 clients and completing 300 repairs.
Results: The Home Repair team met 99% of their goals this year, serving 92 homes with 1,227 minor to moderate home repairs. Due to COVID-19, the goals shifted and the team was able to meet the needs of the community in other ways.
Form relationships with students
Goal: Serve 175 students through our Beyond School program and help these students improve their math, reading and social emotional skills.
Results: Our Beyond School Success Coaches have served 178 students virtually during the 2019-2020 school year..
expand our community hub
Goal: Create an in-house partnership to provide legal services to members that are experiencing barriers to employment.
Results: We are now home to SLU LAW Legal Clinic and have a full-time lawyer and a team of law students on site to help with legal issues members might have.
THE REASON BEHIND THE NUMBERS -
BARRIERS CREATED BY POVERTY
BEYOND SCHOOL
In too many places across the country the cycle of poverty has negatively impacted the lives of families and entire communities, and St. Louis is no exception. One in five people in St. Louis live in poverty and 40% of children are born into poverty. The effects of poverty lasts generations, creating barriers to resources, employment and education.
Studies show that performance in school often has more to do with the socioeconomic status of a child than how hard they work. That’s why Beyond School exists. Students who do not read well by the 3rd grade have 4x higher risk of not earning a high school diploma. About 87% of our students live in zip codes with below poverty rates above 20%. These zip codes can feel like a different worlds than those with higher socioeconomic status. Physical, emotional. environmental and cultural factors impact these students in ways that many people cannot see.
Beyond School offers students with an individualized instruction that increase their social and emotional growth as as well as their academic growth. Students who regularly attended their sessions increased their reading skills by 2.6 years and math skills by 2.2 years. With the help of Beyond School, their sense of possibilities for the future widens.
BEYOND JOBS & EACH1
The effects of poverty also impact people’s ability to find substantial employment. Policies are made that tend to treat poorer classes as criminals, policing this class more than others. Inability to pay tickets for traffic violations, child support or bail, land people in jail at alarming rates. Incarceration causes people to lose jobs, families and creates lasting trauma. A criminal record impedes successful reentry into society, making it harder to access employment, housing, education and other support. That is where EACH1 steps in.
EACH1 is a community health hub that provides holistic workforce development through our Beyond Jobs program and other needed resources including legal, financial and health services. Beyond Jobs welcomed nine new team members this year to help people through this journey.
In July, SLU Law Legal Clinics moved into the North Grand office to help members with the legal issues that create barriers to employment. From July to October, these lawyers have worked tirelessly on 254 cases to help members get their lives back. The legal clinic was able to create a specialized docket for Mission: St. Louis members to expedite their cases. This docket is one of the first of its kind that specifically serves a population like the one at Mission: St. Louis — people experiencing poverty, struggles with employment issues and dedicated to improving their lives.
Even amidst the pandemic, 52 of our members were directly hired by partnering employers, 8 were placed in transitional jobs and 8 were hired through HIreSTL. These employment opportunities start members at an average starting wage of $13, allowing them to start a path to substantial employment and live with purpose.
The cycle of poverty is complicated and increasingly more difficult to break with each generation. With holistic support members can have generational impacts on the systemic issues of poverty in our city.
BEYOND CHARITY
Education and employment go a long way toward providing opportunity to people in St. Louis, but other needs still exist. Beyond Charity programs meet the other needs of our city in empowering ways, creating a complete foundation for people and communities to flourish.
This year the pandemic temporarily inhibited in-home work. The Minor Home Repair team pivoted to meet the needs of the community. We delivered information about our programs and resources available in the area to over 30 senior living buildings. From older adults to kids + their families, our diverse range of programs impact leaders of all ages so they can stay in the neighborhood they're transforming. We cut over 80 lawns in our neighborhood and hand delivered essential supplies to over 150 seniors who weren’t able to make it to our essential drives.
Once it was safe to return to our neighbor’s homes we were able to complete 620 home repairs in 56 different homes. Our Healthy Home Repair program completed 150 large-scale projects including roof and HVAC replacements.
Outside of home repairs, we served our neighborhood through our annual holiday event. This Affordable Christmas we helped make Christmas brighter for over 500 families. Toys were bought for 1,540 children at a discounted rate. Essentials and other holiday supplies were given to each family as well.
Marcell joined Beyond Jobs in January 2016, eager for a new start for himself and his family. Originally hesitant to enroll, he quickly saw himself grow, developing as he spent more time in the program. A man of conviction, Marcell devoted himself to enhancing his job and leadership skills. His unrelenting drive earned him rave reviews during his internship with Swiss American, leading to a full-time position after graduation. Marcell also received our Outstanding Alumni Award for continued personal and workplace excellence. Today, Marcell works for Penske Truck Leasing, where he continues to earn high marks. He is proud to serve as a role model for his children as they grow into aspiring leaders.
Rosie is revered across North City as an avid storyteller and fierce community advocate. Dismayed with the numerous vacant lots surrounding her home, Rosie leased land from the City of St. Louis to establish the Fresh Starts Community Garden. She has since dedicated her “retirement” to transforming her luscious garden into a community hotspot. The garden greets several hundred visitors and volunteers annually, providing a space for community engagement and dialogue. Despite COVID-19 and emerging health problems, Rosie tends the garden each day, preserving the space for future generations.
This year we gathered stories from our members, former members and Beyond School students. These stories were highlighted at our annual Night for the Town gala, check them out below.
2020 FINANCIALS
2020 financials are based off pre-audited numbers
COVID-19 Essentials Drive Map
This year, with the help of the community and our partners, we were able to help over 11,000 people in the area with food and other essentials they may otherwise not had access to due to the pandemic. We have served families from over 50 zip codes, some as far as Springfield, MO. Check out our map to see the zip codes we served in the area.
Ever wonder about all that Mission: St. Louis does? Watch our “We are Mission: St. Louis” video for some insight into all of our programs. Want to see more? Visit our youtube page!
2020 Beyond Music
Music allows for self expression, it builds confidence and is an outlet for many people. Beyond music offers a space for teens to come after school and record their own original music. This year Beyond Music welcomed 12 young musicians into the studio.
2020 Night for the Town
This year we celebrated the resiliency of St. Louis with our annual gala themed - do hard things. We had a total of 300 in-person and virtual attendees and raised over $100,000 of our goal. Read the inspiring stories of our participants or relive entire night.
It has been a whirlwind of a year, but with a lot of help we were able to finish the year strong. Thank you to all who have been with us, virtually and in person, we could not have done it without you.
A special thank you to our partners
1904Labs
Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Ameren
Charless Foundation
First Financial
Four Hands Brewing Company
HomeFirst
Lafayette Preparatory Academy
Places for People
St. Louis Area Agency on Aging
St. Louis Area Foodbank
St. Louis Community Development Administration
St. Louis City Senior Fund
St. Louis Language Immersion School
SLU LAW Legal Clinics
Student Writer’s Studio
Union Pacific
United Way
WIOA
Win Warehouse
Inspired, LLC
FedEx
Associated Equipment
Fairfield
Holten Meat
King's Cleaning
Home Sweet Home
STL City
Valvoline
Steris IMS
Fabick
STL Print Group
Essex Industries
Potter Electric
PLM Companies
Anthem
Responsible Container
Dierbergs
GardaWorld
Watson Home Construction
Anthem Customer Service Remote Jobs
Assistance Home Care
Louisa Foods
Reclaim Renew
Hospitality Staffing Solutions
BTD Construction
Crown Linen
Clean-Tech
Midas Hospitality
Almost Home
Gershman Real Estate
Railroad job opps
Amazon shoppers
Cenlar
The Ambassador Concert and Event Center
MAURICE-BENJAMIN COMPANY
Wal-Mart
STL Public Schools
SSM HealthSkillUP/Employment Connection
Luxco
HY-C
AT&T
SLU 2nd Chance Jobs
Unigroup
STL Wing Co
1904Labs Inc.
2 Girls 4 Wheels Food Truck
21 Design Group
4 Hands Brewing Co
Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union
Ameren Missouri
Anheuser-Busch
AT&T
Bank of America
Bubba Watson
Carrollton Bank
Clymer Construction
Commerce Bancshares Foundation
Cornerstone Solutions Group, Inc.
Douglas HTG. & Cooling, Inc
Eight Eleven Group
Enterprise Bank & Trust
FCB Banks
First Bank
Galmiche & Sons, Inc
Garcia Properties
Grace Meat + Three
Heffernan Insurance Brokers'
HM Capital Management, LLC
Johnson & Johnson
Matthew Stark Insurance Agency
Medart, Inc.
Meyer Tree Service
Moneta Group
Nestle Purina
Nitor Billing Services, LLC
Old Time Spices
Pledgeling Foundation
PLNK
PNC Bank
Polsinelli
Pro Pool Management & Service, Inc.
Ronnoco Coffee
Scott Credit Union
Sly Tree & Landscaping
SmithAmundsen LLC
South City Invest Corp
St. Louis Closet Co.
St. Louis Pro Players Inc
Strategic Capital
Strauss Peyton
The Boeing Company
The Normal Brand
The Post Sports Bar and Grill
The Shepherd Foundation
Tom James Custom Suits
USA Mortgage
Veiled Prophet Foundation
Vi-Jon LLC
World Wide Technology