ESC Annual Report 2018

MISSION STATEMENT 

Our mission is to work within our communities to alleviate 

the conditions of poverty and provide individuals 

and families with opportunities that will enable 

them to achieve economic security. 

BlairMdITC TT Medium 

PMS 1795 C / #DD1100 

COMMUNITY PMS 298 C / #00CCFF ACTION 

PROMISE 

Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, 

improves communities and makes America a better place to live. 

We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to 

helping people help themselves and each other.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

CEO’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

Poverty Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 

Food & Nutrition Solutions. . . . . . . . . . .6 

Health & Wellness Solutions . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Housing & Energy Solutions . . . . . . . . . 12 

Economic & Family Solutions . . . . . . . . 24 

Education Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

Capacity Building Solutions . . . . . . . . . 39 

Funding Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

Locations & Phone Numbers. . . . . . . . . 41 

Economic Security Corporation 

of Southwest Area (ESC), a 

Community Action Agency is part 

of a 1,000 member Community 

Action Partnership, America’s 

Poverty Fighting Network. ESC is 

striving toward alleviating poverty 

in Barton, Jasper, Newton and 

McDonald counties in Southwest 

Missouri. 

Our professional Community Action 

staff has offered hope, opportunity 

and change for 53 years. Economic 

Security Corporation utilizes a 

multitude of community and 

family opportunities designed to 

support people in crisis, as well as 

continuously developing innovative 

approaches to solving poverty and 

affecting positively the Southwest 

Missouri communities. 

Economic Security Corporation’s 

Community Action professionals 

work closely with our customers to 

identify and resolve the underlying 

conditions of their economic 

challenges. Our current plan of 

action addresses the basic needs 

of virtually every individual or 

family that is facing poverty – 

Food, Education, Housing, Energy, 

Health, Economic and Family 

Security. It also emphasizes our 

agency’s responsibility in ensuring 

we have the resources necessary to 

address these barriers. We refer to 

these opportunities as …… 

Solutions to Poverty 

This report offers insight into 

Economic Security Corporation of 

Southwest Area’s current endeavors 

to provide solutions to poverty that 

families and our local communities 

are experiencing. Our agency 

offers innovative options to the 

many causes and conditions of 

poverty. Individuals and families 

that live in our local communities 

have improved their quality of life, 

as can be seen in the 2017 census 

data, three of our four counties 

have seen a reduction in poverty. 

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A LETTER FROM... 

Henry Lopez 

ESC BOARD PRESIDENT 

What an exciting year it has been. It is hard to believe we are at the end of 2017; we started out with a great 

big bang! We had quite the celebration for Weatherization with a $500,000 contribution from Empire District 

Electric Company (Liberty Central) to help energy innovation and keep homes safe and healthy. Then in March, 

Early Head Start won a $6,000,000 Early Head Start Childcare Partnership grant. 

Early Head Start Childcare Partnership grant has been busy this past year, opening over 7 new Early Head Start 

locations through Southwest Missouri and adding 74 new childcare slots, 50 new employment opportunities 

and 10 new partnerships, all of this within 9 months of the grant award. Amazing! 

Head Start continues to implement Results Oriented Management and Accountability measures. This innovative 

process takes data, and then analyzes the data that leads to programmatic evaluation. Head Start and Early 

Head Start has some incredible results based on this work. Our Board is very excited to learn about the results 

they are able to achieve. 

Permanent Supportive Housing is important to our agency and we are continuing partnerships with the City of 

Joplin and Vecino Group. Healthcare and Housing go hand in hand and Women’s Health and Family Planning 

Services love their partnership with the McDonald County Health Department. Women’s Health works with 

Head Start and Early Head Start employees who need wellness examinations, TB tests and flu shots, as well. 

Community Development has been able to keep over 9,421 households warm this past winter and cool in 

the summer. We guided 226 families toward their Family Self-Sufficiency goals resulting in over 43% of these 

families increasing their overall household income. We provided permanent housing to over 51 households, 

resulting in safe and stable housing. We kept 13 at-risk youth attending High School with the goal of achieving 

their high school diploma. 

We have had some staff changes and retirements this past year, but I am confident that our leadership team, 

staff and Board will be able to stay the course. Thanks to everyone this year that supported Economic Security 

Corporation and the Board of Directors. 

Henry Lopez 

ESC Board President 

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Economic Security Corporation (ESC) 

is governed by up to twenty-four 

members on the Board of Directors. 

At least one-third of the board is 

comprised of community members 

who are currently living on lower 

incomes. These seats provide our 

customers with direct voices in shaping 

Economic Security Corporation’s 

policies, programs and governance to 

reflect low income needs. One-third 

of the Board must be local elected 

officials and the remaining members 

are part of the public interest groups. 

These representatives give freely of 

their time to further the impact, and 

assure the effectiveness of Economic 

Security Corporation’s vision, mission 

and goals. We applaud them for 

their dedication to improving living 

conditions for our low-income families 

and developing independence in our 

communities. 

Henry Lopez 

President 

Spring Knott 

Head Start Liaison 

Darieus Adams 

Karen Buckman 

Paula Carsel 

Becky Crane 

Cleo Crosby 

Mike Davis 

Randy Evans 

Doris Fast 

Janice Franklin 

David Halloway 

Jim Jackson 

Kevin Johnson 

Melissa Kennon 

Bethany Knoll 

Phillip Knott 

Chris Lee 

Jenna McGarrah 

Chester Neel 

Yanet Pacheco 

Nikki Tappana 

Leo Taylor-Bey 

Thomas Wilson 

3

A LETTER FROM... 

John Joines, CCAP 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 

A YEAR IN REVIEW 

It is once again the time of year to share with our funding sources, 

our board members, our community partners, our staff and all other 

interested parties information about the undertakings of Economic 

Security Corporation of Southwest Area (ESC). And, it is truly my pleasure 

to say thank you to all of those who have helped us to ensure that 

we meet our mission of “working within our communities to alleviate 

the conditions of poverty and provide individuals and families with 

opportunities that will enable them to achieve economic security.” 

LET’S TALK FINANCES 

The state of our agency remains strong. Funding resources for 10/1/16 through 9/30/17 totaled $17,516.881. 

ESC operates some 38 different programs utilizing 40 plus funding sources. 

OF PARTICULAR INTEREST 

This year there are two new projects of particular interest to our clients. ESC has been working with the City of 

Joplin and our for-profit partner, The Vecino Group of Springfield, Missouri, to develop 32 units of permanent 

housing to help address the needs for persons with disabilities, Veterans who are homeless, and seniors. 

Permanent Supportive Housing is another step towards ending homelessness in Joplin and continuing to 

rebuild from the Joplin disaster. 

This year ESC received a grant from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The Early Head Start- 

Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) initiative brings together the best of Early Head Start and child care through 

layering of funding to provide comprehensive and continuous services to low-income infants, toddlers, and their 

families. Federal Early Head Start funds are combined with Child Care Development Funds (CCDF) administered 

by the State of Missouri. 

ESC is one of 50 organizations throughout the nation to be awarded one of these grants. It’s the result of 

Economic Security Corporation’s Early Head Start program which has worked creating partnerships in over 6 

Southwest Missouri communities to expand high-quality, no cost child care opportunities. This early childhood 

opportunity focuses on serving children ages zero to three years. The grant targets families who are working 

or going to school. The grant award will provide $6 million dollars over a five year period. Seventy-four new 

children will be served and fifty new jobs will be created once the grant is fully implemented. 

SUMMARY 

In addition to the new programs I outlined above, I am happy to report that ESC received increases this past 

year in virtually every program that it administers on behalf of low-income individuals and families. It is with 

boundless gratitude that we commend our legislators at the state and Federal levels for their understanding and 

willingness to help those less fortunate and those unable to help themselves. 

We look forward to continuing to provide innovative, as well as time tested, programs that will meet our 

client’s needs. 

John Joines, CCAP 

ESC Chief Executive Officer 

4

EMPOWERING 

LOCAL COMMUNITIES 

AND NEIGHBORS 

UTILIZING LOCAL 

POVERTY SOLUTIONS 

Food and Nutrition Solutions 

• Healthy Nutrition through Head Start 

and Early Head Start 

Health and Wellness Solutions 

• Health and Wellness through Head Start 

and Early Head Start 

• Health and Wellness through Women’s 

Health and Family Planning 

Housing and Energy Solutions 

• Housing Stock Wellness 

• Safe and Secure Housing 

• Building Neighbors through 

Homeownership 

• Safe and Secure Housing through 

Keeping Southwest Missourians Warm 

• Safe and Secure Housing Ending 

Homelessness 

Economic and Family Solutions 

• Promoting Quality Life and Wellness 

with our Neighbors 

Education Solutions 

• Educating our Future Neighbors 

and Families 

Capacity Building Solutions 

• Human Resources 

• Professional Development 

• Fiscal Accountability 

What do our 

communities and 

neighbors look like? 

Community Commons Hub: Missouri Community Action Network Economic 

Security Corporation’s Community Needs Assessment, July 2017 

http://www.realtytrac.com/statsandtrends/foreclosuretrend/moH4 

The Homeless Coalition’s July 2017 Point In Time Homeless Census Count 

5

FOOD & NUTRITION SOLUTIONS 

Food Insecurity 

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR 

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI FAMILIES 

AND CHILDREN? 

The concept of food security, as 

the United States Department of 

Agriculture defines it, refers to 

“access by all people at all times to 

enough food for an active, healthy 

life.” They outline food security as a 

continuum divided into four ranges, 

here are the two lowest ranges. 

Low food security: Households 

reduced the quality, variety, 

desirability of their diets, but 

the quantity of food intake and 

normal eating patterns were not 

substantially disrupted. 

Very low food security: At times 

during the year, eating patterns of 

one or more household members 

were disrupted and food intake 

reduced because the household 

lacked money and other resources 

for food. All Americans in our 

communities deserve healthy, 

easy access and affordable food. 

Inadequate nutrition can lead to 

unnecessary financial burdens 

and in children the inability to 

focus during school hours. Food 

Insecurity includes: increased health 

care costs due to weight related 

disease, low work productivity, 

missed work and the mental stress 

6


caused by food insecurity. Through 

other services and partnerships 

we address nutrition needs and 

healthy eating with families with 

have engaged. All of our families 

work toward self-sufficiency goals 

by increasing their education skills 

which leads to higher earning 

capacity. Having limited income 

creates stress for families when it 

comes to food shopping, access to 

fresh local grown food, especially 

the ability to purchase fresh 

vegetables and fruits. 


can help resolve some of these 

issues through outreach, intake, 

assessment and referrals to 

organizations who can stretch 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAPS) or by assisting 

families access SNAPS. 

Two of ESC’s Counties have some 

significant Food Insecurities noted: 

• Barton County has 24.49% of 

their children under the age of 18 

report being food insecure. 

• In McDonald County over 68% of 

their children under the age of 18 

report being food insecure. 

7


Nutrition in Head Start/Early Head Start 

MISSOURI 

EAT SMART 

CERTIFICATION 

The Missouri Eat Smart 

guidelines are a set of nutritional 

recommendation for child 

care facilities and schools. The 

guidelines were written to create 

a food and nutrition environment 

that will improve the health of 

Missouri’s children. ESC’s Head 

Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) 

program continues to be certified 

at the advanced level of Missouri 

Eat Smart since 2012. Through our 

efforts with Missouri Eat Smart, we 

are able to provide up to two-thirds 

of a child’s daily nutritional needs 

through 250,000 meals and snacks 

in our program. 

There are about 90 childcare 

centers who are eat smart certified 

throughout the state. 

Some of the things we do are: 

• Serve whole grains 3 times a 

week, 

• Serve fresh fruit and veggies 3 

times a week, 

• no juice, soda, etc. 

Part of this effort to improve 

nutritional services for child in 

Head Start also includes parent 

involvement. In 2017, our HS/EHS 

nutrition coordinator completed 

over 24 parent consultations and 

held 3 nutrition based workshops 

and activities for our children and 

families. Topics included healthy 

recipes and cooking classes, 

shopping smarter at the grocery 

store, basic food safety, and age 

appropriate foods for your child. 

THE MO FARM 

TO PRESCHOOL 

PROJECT 

Growing with MO Harvest of 

the Season is a Missouri Farm to 

preschool program that offers 

resources and training for all types 

of early care and education settings. 

The goal is to educate children and 

the adults in their lives about the 

benefits of locally grown fruits and 

vegetables and help them find ways 

to eat more of these foods. The 

program focuses on 14 Missouri 

grown fruits and vegetables. 

Child care providers choose 

activities from these strategies: 

• Classroom learning experiences 

• Fresh fruits and vegetables in 

child care meals 

• Gardening with young children 

• Family engagement 

Head Start through this grant is 

able to have gardening activities in 

the classrooms, also we sent home 

newsletters called grow with MO, 

these newsletters talk about locally 

grown produce in Missouri, have 

pictures of what the produce looks 

like and how you can prepare the 

produce through recipes. 

8

HEALTH & WELLNESS SOLUTIONS 

BREASTFEEDING 

FRIENDLY 

WORKSITE 

PROGRAM 

Employer support of breastfeeding 

provides many benefits to 

businesses: 

Women who return to work while 

continuing to breastfeed need the 

support of their employers. Their 

needs are simple: a safe, private 

and comfortable location at the 

worksite and the opportunity to 

pump two or three times during 

the work day. The Missouri 

“Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite 

Program” is available to help 

businesses in becoming a nursing 

friendly workplace by: 

• Identifying and setting up a 

suitable private room 

• Scheduling appropriate breaks 

for nursing employees 

• Reviewing written polices 

We provided breast pumps and 

mini refrigerators at five locations 

in Anderson, Carthage, Neosho, 

South Joplin and ESC. In an effort to 

Medical & 

Dental Services 

Children in Head Start and 

Early Head Start receive many 

preventative health services. When 

children are healthy, they are ready 

to learn. 

Because a healthy child is more 

likely to succeed academically, 

Head Start and Early Head Start 

Cost savings of $3 per $1 invested in nursing support 

• Reduced absenteeism 

to care for sick children 

because breastfed infants 

have less illness 

• Lower health care costs 

• Improved employee productivity 

with higher morale and greater 

employee loyalty 

• Increased ability to attract 

and retain valuable 

employees 

• Family-friendly 

image in the 

community 

better this program 

and achieve higher 

goals, we have received a 

grant through the Missouri 

Department of Health and 

Senior Services, to make 5 

of our locations certified “Gold 

Level” for a breastfeeding friendly 

worksite. At these five locations a 

lending library full of breastfeeding 

information is available for our 

families to utilize. 

ensures prenatal women and 

children receive preventative 

medical and dental care. HS/EHS 

conducts several health screenings 

within the program, such as hearing 

& vision, health & nutrition, and oral 

health screenings. In addition, the 

program ensures each family has 

a medical and dental home within 

their local community. If followup 

needs are identified, HS/EHS 

works to ensure the family has no 

barriers to obtaining those followup 

services. 

9


For over 47 years, the Women’s 

Health and Family Planning Clinic 

has offered confidential, low cost, 

quality reproductive health care 

to men, women and adolescents 

of child-bearing age along with 

the information and supplies 

needed to make personal choices 

regarding the number and spacing 

of their children. The clinic plays a 

critical role in ensuring access to 

a broad range of family planning 

and preventive health services. We 

provide up-to-date information, 

clinical expertise (judgement 

and experience), to assist clients 

in preventing unintended 

pregnancies, maintaining their 

reproductive health, cancer 

screenings and reducing instances 

of sexually transmitted infections. 

This vital healthcare program is 

funded primarily by the Title X 

Family Planning Program. It is the 

only Federal program dedicated 

solely to the provision of family 

planning and related preventive 

health services. The program 

is designed to provide health 

care, contraceptive supplies and 

information to all who want and need 

them with priority given to persons 

from low income families. For every 

one dollar the government spends 

on family planning programs, $7.09 

are saved in Medicaid pregnancy, 

childbirth and related medical 

expenses. Last year the Joplin, 

Neosho and McDonald County 

Women’s Health and Family 

Planning clinics combined, saved 

taxpayers a little over one million 

dollars, $1,032,430 to be exact. 

An example of a typical Women’s 

Health and Family Planning client is 

female, 27 years old, 3 members in 

her family, no health insurance and 

a household income of less than 

$2,000 a month. Based on this, 

information, the woman would be 

entitled to a discount of 80% off 

HEALTH SERVICES 

HS EHS 

Children with health insurance 99% 100% 

Children with a medical home 99% 100% 

Children up-to-date on immunizations 99% 100% 

Children with a dental home 99% 98% 

Children receiving medical exams 100% 100% 

Children receiving dental services 98% 100% 

Women’s Health and Family Planning 

of the health care charges for her 

well-woman visit; charges that are 

already lower than the price charged 

in any local physician office. 

Why is Family Planning so 

important? For many women, a 

family planning visit may be the only 

source of health care they receive all 

year and the one they consider as 

their usual source of medical care. 

All Missourians deserve access to 

health care services regardless of 

their income or insurance status. 


of Southwest Area’s Women’s 

Health and Family Planning are 

MO RECEIVES “F” IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH GRADE CARD 

10


a part of your community. We 

are experts at what we do. We 

are dedicated to protecting your 

health. The Women’s Health and 

Family Planning program is a 

Success Story 

I JUST HAD TWO 

PARTNERS AND 

CONTRACTED 

SYPHILIS… 

GET TESTED! 

According to Missouri Family 

Health Council’s 2016 needs 

assessment; Missouri receive a F 

rating on its reproductive health 

report card. Missouri ranks 22nd 

in the number of HIV diagnoses, 

19th in rates of syphilis, 14th in 

gonorrhea infections and 21st in 

chlamydia infections. 

In October of last year, Ms. Amber 

noticed a sore in her genital area. 

She was a bit concerned about it 

but didn’t feel unwell so decided not 

to go to the doctor for a couple of 

weeks. The sore was large and slightly 

painful. She scheduled her wellwoman 

exam with Economic Security 

Corporation’s Women Healthcare 

and Family Planning Clinic. At her 

Women’s Health and Family Planning 

appointment, Donna White, the 

Woman’s Health Nurse Practitioner, 

completed her well woman exam. 

This is when she found out that Donna 

was 99 percent sure it was a Syphilis 

Chancer because of the size and the 

way it looked. But because it was 

painful (Syphilis is normally painless) 

there was a chance it could be Herpes. 

The Nurse Practitioner drew her blood 

to check for Syphilis and a culture was 

done to check for herpes. 

service strategy that impacts our 

National Community Action goal of 

“communities where people with 

low incomes live are healthy and 

offer economic opportunity.” 

One week later ESC’s Women’s 

Health Clinic contacted Ms. Amber 

with the test results. These are 

words you don’t want to hear. “You 

have Syphilis and you must come to 

the clinic to receive treatment and 

meet with the Missouri Department 

of Health’s Disease Investigator.” 

She was mortified. Ms. Amber 

hadn’t had multiple partners, so 

she couldn’t understand how she 

had contracted this disease. 

The first thing she was told by the 

Missouri State Sexually Transmitted 

Disease (STD) Investigator was that 

while Syphilis is most definitely 

something to be taken seriously, 

it’s fairly uncommon among 

heterosexual women, and when 

a heterosexual woman does test 

positive for Syphilis that is an 

indicator that there is an epidemic 

and it has reached its peak. 

Like many women, Ms. Amber had 

little awareness of Syphilis. She 

said we are taught in school sex 

education class about the most 

common STD’s like HIV, Chlamydia, 

Gonorrhea, and Herpes. Nothing 

was taught about Syphilis. This 

disease is not new; it has been 

around for 500 years. 

Syphilis, a deadly sexually 

transmitted infection that, may 

damage the internal organs, 

including the brain, nerves, eyes, 

heart, blood vessels, liver, bones 

and joints can lead to blindness, 

paralysis and dementia if left 

untreated. 

Symptoms, painless sores and 

ulcers, fever, muscle aches, swollen 

lymph nodes or sore throat, as well 

as a painless non-itchy rash that 

spreads any all over the body. 

These symptoms could easily 

resemble other diseases. Ms. 

Amber advice to friends and family 

is to be aware. It is important to 

pay attention to what’s happing 

with your body and see someone 

who specializes in sexual health and 

STDs. If syphilis is caught early, it’s 

totally curable with antibiotics, and 

even in the later stages, while it may 

be more difficult, it’s still curable. 

It has been a long year, she just 

completed her last follow-up blood 

test; and is disease free with no longterm 

damage. She is so grateful for 

ESC’s Women’s Health and Family 

Planning’s expertise and the quality 

of care that she received. 

So, how did Ms. Amber get this? 

She doesn’t sleep around; she 

had only one partner in the last 

12 months, two partners in her 

lifetime. She found out that she had 

gotten it from her ex-partner now. 

He was the one who had several 

partners. Anyone can get syphilis! 

Get tested! 

11

HOUSING & ENERGY SOLUTIONS 

Housing Stock Wellness 

KEEPING VULNERABLE NEIGHBORS 

SAFE AND WARM IN THEIR HOMES 

THROUGH HOME REPAIR 

ESC is fortunate to work with two 

home rehabilitation programs and 

was able to build a new home 

in 2017. All of these housing 

opportunities serve low to 

moderate income individuals and 

families in Southwest Missouri. 

Our HOME Repair Opportunity 

Program (HeRO), which is funded by 

the Missouri Housing Development 

Commission, serves homeowners 

in Barton, Jasper, Newton, and 

McDonald Counties. Our Joplin 

Consortium HOME Repair 

Program, which is funded by the 

City of Joplin, serves homeowners 

in Jasper County. ESC partners with 

our Weatherization Department 

and other local agencies such as 

Habitat for Humanity, Catholic 

Charities, and The Fuller Center 

in order to better serve our 

community. Our newest program, 

The City of Joplin Low-to-Moderate 

Income (LMI) Homebuyer Program, 

is in partnership with the City of 

Joplin and serves potential new 

home buyers in Jasper County. 

Our home rehabilitation programs 

operate in partnership with 

a funding source to provide 

a forgivable loan to eligible 

homeowners. These programs are 

designed to offer much more than 

a forgivable loan, they provide 

peace of mind in knowing that the 

right home repairs are done and 

that they are completed in a timely 

manner with quality craftsmanship. 

These programs are intended to 

improve the basic livability of the 

home, as well as making repairs 

to items affecting health, safety, 

energy efficiency, accessibility, and 

code compliance, thus prolonging 

the usefulness of the home. 

Program guidelines allow our 

contractors to complete a variety of 

repairs to the homes we work on. If 

an eligible homeowner is selected, 

an inspection of their home is 

performed to determine the needs 

of the home. Typical repairs could 

include: major systems repairs or 

replacement including roof and 

drainage, electrical, fire and smoke 

protection, plumbing and fixtures, 

and heating/cooling. Repairs also 

could include siding and window 

repair or replacement. Accessibility 

modifications for persons with 

disabilities are designed to increase 

the ability of the homeowner to 

function effectively within the 

home. 

In 2017, ESC’s Home Repair 

Department had a successful year 

rehabilitating 27 homes in our four 

county service area. ESC spent 

an average of $22,463.91 on the 

homes we rehabilitated in 2017. 

The goal of the Homebuyer 

New Construction Program is to 

build and sell newly constructed 

affordable homes to LMI families. 

Our first home was completed 

and sold in 2017 and is located 

at 2302 South Joplin Avenue. 

It is a 1,334 square foot home 

which offered a spacious open 

living area, three bedrooms, two 

bathrooms, a beautiful kitchen with 

custom knotty alder cabinets and 

stainless appliances, a bay window 

in the dining room, hand-scraped 

hardwood and tile flooring, and an 

oversized two car garage. It also 

featured a beautiful covered front 

porch with rough cedar support 

posts and handrails, as well as a 

deck at the back of the house. We 

are looking forward to additional 

new construction projects in 2018. 

All of the families who received 

these services now live in safer 

and more energy efficient homes. 

Homeowners can look forward to a 

warm and cozy home for the winter 

and a cooler home this summer. 

“Equal Housing Opportunity” 

12


Success Story 

SAVING A 

NEIGHBORHOOD 

VICTORIAN HOME 

Carolyn’s house was built in 1905 

at the turn of the 20th century. 

Although her house had a lot of 

charm and character, it was very 

cold in the winter and hot in the 

summer. Her house had structural 

issues, including a front porch floor 

that was no longer attached to the 

house and interior floors that were 

trip hazards. 

Carolyn said, “I was watching 

the local news, and I heard that 


Southwest Area (ESC) was taking 

applications for their Home Repair 

Program. I had applied once 

before, but ESC had run out of 

funds and I guess the second time 

was a charm. I needed the help 

more than ever since my husband 

had passed away.” 

much needed electrical work was 

soon completed. 

Carolyn said, “I can proudly sit out 

on my front porch and now I feel 

safe, and I love my new siding and 

windows.” She is also very thankful 

for the repairs that were done to her 

home’s interior. Carolyn said, “My 

new floor coverings are no longer a 

trip hazard and they are so easy to 

keep clean, which is pretty difficult 

with my three furry cats.” 

Carolyn said, “Steve and his crew 

were so courteous and made it fun 

with their sense of humor. They 

seemed to enjoy the coffee and 

donuts, and so did I. They were 

such hard workers, and their work 

was perfect.” 

Carolyn said, “After the work was 

completed, I was waiting on my 

friend to pick me up. She drove 

right by my house and didn’t 

even recognize it. She got turned 

around and was amazed at how 

beautiful it looked. I was the talk 

of the neighborhood, and as many 

people that I took on tours of my 

home, I should have had an open 

house. My home is the prettiest on 

the block!” Carolyn said, “I want 

to praise God and ESC for helping 

me. I would highly recommend their 

home repair program to others.” 

Community collaboration is very 

important to our Southwest Missouri 

communities. ESC’s partnership 

with the Missouri Housing 

Development Commission’s Home 

Repair Opportunity Program 

(HeRO) program can make a 

difference in local neighborhoods 

creating a domino effect that other 

homes in these neighborhoods can 

be improved as well. 

Carolyn was selected for the HeRO 

Home Repair Program. ESC works 

with local contractors to work on 

HeRO Homes. On a cold winter 

day, Steve Corum with Corum 

Siding and Guttering and his crew, 

began to work on her home. A 

number of repairs faced the crew, 

but the first priority was to rebuild 

the dilapidated front porch and 

steps, while keeping the character 

and charm of her craftsman style 

home. Soon after the porch repairs 

were completed, next came the 

replacement of her windows, 

fascia, soffit, guttering, and siding. 

The interior repairs were next - 

bathroom repairs, floor repairs, and 

What a difference! 

13


Weatherization 

COMMUNITIES WHERE 

NEIGHBORS WITH LOW INCOMES 

LIVE ARE HEALTHY AND OFFER 

BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE 

THROUGH WEATHERIZATION 


of Southwest Area (ESC) utilizes 

the Weatherization Assistance 

Program (WAP) to achieve one of 

the main Community Action Goals 

through improving older housing 

stock. Together, we utilize funds 

from the United States Department 

of Energy (DOE) and the United 

States Department of Health and 

Human Services (HHS) Low Income 

Home Energy Assistance Program 

(LIHEAP) to achieve these results. 

Funds are used to improve the 

energy efficiency of low-income 

homes using the most advanced 

technologies and testing protocols 

available in the housing industry. 

The energy conservation resulting 

from the efforts of Weatherization 

helps our country reduce its 

dependence on foreign oil and 

decrease the cost of energy for 

families in need while improving 

the health and safety of their 

homes. During this last calendar 

year ESC saved our 100 client’s 

homes approximately $11,530 in 

heating and cooling costs. 

2017 HEATING & 

COOLING SAVINGS 

approximately 

$11,530 

for a total of 

100 ESC clients 

Weatherization work begins with an 

energy audit, during which we visit 

your house to see what measures 

can be taken to help reduce the 

home’s energy bill. This initial visit 

takes several hours onsite and a 

few more hours in the office to 

complete the Weatherization work 

write-up. During the energy audit, 

ESC’s Energy Auditor performs a 

safety and efficiency test on your 

heating system and water heater, 

measures your house for heat loss 

calculations, inspects your attic for 

bypasses, checks insulation levels in 

your attic and walls, and conducts 

a blower door test that measures 

the air leakage of your house. 

After your audit is completed, our 

Energy Auditor will determine 

which energy measures are most 

effective. 

Next, if needed, we send out a 

licensed, insured, and bonded 

mechanical contractor to address 

health and safety issues or 

mechanical problems that the 

Energy Auditor has identified. 

This contractor would also be the 

one to replace energy inefficient 

appliances if they cost effective 

measures. During the last calendar 

year, we replaced 43 heating units. 

Twenty-six of them were replaced 

as an Energy Efficiency measure, 

meaning the existing units were 

inefficient. Of the 43 heating unit 

replacements, 17 were due to 

Health and Safety measures, 10 of 

those had cracked heat exchangers. 

A gas furnace’s heat exchanger 

contains the gas combustion 

chamber. As air is circulated through 

the HVAC system, it passes over 

the heat exchanger and absorbs 

thermal energy before it’s circulated 

throughout the house. When the 

heat exchanger is cracked, not only 

does the air absorb the thermal 

energy, but it also takes the carbon 

monoxide with it as it’s circulated 

throughout the house. This is 

dangerous to the occupants’ health 

and can potentially lead to death. 

After all combustion issues are 

properly addressed, we send out 

our air sealing and insulation crews 

to do the weatherization work. The 

weatherization work consists of 

caulking, weather-stripping, adding 

ceiling, wall, and floor insulation, 

patching holes in the building 

envelope, and duct work. 

The final step is our Quality Control 

Inspector (QCI) makes a visit to 

your house to make sure everything 

was done properly. The inspector 

goes over the completed work and 

retests any combustion appliances 

to make sure they are venting 

properly after we changed the 

dynamics of the building envelope. 

Weatherization is supported in our 

local community in the amount 

of $55,700 annually. We are 

able to leverage local, state and 

national resources to improve our 

older housing stock in Southwest 

Missouri. Valued local partners are: 

Empire District Electric Company 

(Liberty Central), Lowe’s and Spire. 

Working smarter together to end 

poverty where we live. 

14


Success Story 

A HELPING HAND 

FOR BETTY 

Betty’s house needed some help, 

and the 92 year-old just wasn’t able 

to keep up with everything that 

needed done. Her two-story home 

was built in 1920, and has all of the 

character typical of that era. Her 

home is five years older than her. 

They both have a lot of character. 

Our inspector found that Betty’s 

furnace was in desperate need 

of replacement. We replaced her 

70% efficient furnace with a 96% 

efficient unit, which will save her a 

great deal of money on her home 

heating costs. 

During the course of our work, we 

discovered that her water heater 

was not drafting properly, which 

caused carbon monoxide to build 

up in her basement. The return air, 

which brings air into the home, is 

located in the basement, so the 

carbon monoxide could easily 

make its way into the living areas 

of the home. This could have 

been potentially very dangerous 

for Betty. We replaced her natural 

draft water heater with a direct 

vent model. 

We installed 835 square feet of 

floor insulation, which will keep 

her house much warmer in the 

winter and cooler in the summer 

by reducing the amount of air that 

seeps up through the flooring. We 

insulated 68 feet of ducting to keep 

her heated and air conditioned air 

from leaking into her basement. 

We take the health and safety 

of our clients very seriously. We 

installed two carbon monoxide 

detectors, two smoke alarms, and 

a fire extinguisher as health and 

safety measures. We strive to help 

our clients reduce their energy bills 

while making their homes healthier 

and safer. 

Betty wrote in a lovely card to 

us, “A mere thank you is so very 

inadequate for all the wonderful 

and much needed things you did 

for my house. All the men were so 

nice and pleasant and very, very 

patient with me! I will think of all of 

you on those cold winter days.” 

We reduced her air infiltration by 

46% by employing such measures 

as proper use of caulking, glazing, 

outlet and switch gaskets, and 

weatherstripping. We installed 

four sash locks, which serve a dual 

function. Sash locks reduce air 

infiltration by keeping windows 

tightly closed, and also serve as 

a safety measure by making the 

home more secure. 

15


Success Story 

A TEAM-UP FOR 

FRANKIE’S HOUSE 

Frankie came into our office in 

search of some much needed 

assistance. Her home needed 

several repairs that she was 

physically and financially unable 

to obtain. Mary Beth from Home 

Repair and Margarite from 

Weatherization helped her through 

the application process and were 

able to partner on her project. 

Weatherization and Home Repair 

each performed part of the necessary 

repairs according to our program 

regulations. Weatherization replaced 

three doors and installed 897 square 

Choosing Your Own Neighborhood! 

feet of R-30 insulation in the attic. 

We also installed floor insulation to 

keep the cold air from seeping in 

through her floors. We wrapped 84 

feet of water lines to keep them from 

freezing in the winter. We employed 

our standard infiltration reduction 

measures such as us of caulking, 

expansion foam, rubberized leak 

stopper, and foam board. 

Frankie’s home is now much 

safer and more energy efficient. 

Weatherization and Home Repair 

are always happy to partner on 

projects whenever possible. 

Having safe, affordable housing 

can be a difficult task for many of 

the Economic Security Corporation 

of Southwest Area’s clients. Often 

homes that meet the needs of their 

family and circumstances is out of 

reach for them financially, even those 

fortunate enough to be working fulltime. 

Homes they can afford may be 

in poor condition, located too far from 

work or services, or not adequate for 

them and their family. The Housing 

Choice Voucher (HCV) program helps 

bridge that gap with rental assistance. 

“Choice” is the key word in the 

title Housing Choice Voucher. Each 

qualifying family receives a housing 

assistance “voucher” worth an 

amount based on their household 

size and income. They are free to 

then take that voucher anywhere 

within our service area and find 

the home they want, not one that 

is chosen for them. Families or 

individuals are required to pay 

30% of their income toward rent 

and utilities, ESC’s Jasper County 

Public Housing Agency then 

bridges the difference. Over 340 

households are currently using HCV 

rental assistance to provide a safe, 

secure and affordable place to live 

for themselves, their children, and 

their families. 

16


HOUSING CHOICE 

VOUCHER TENANTS 

Neighbors & Homeownership 

= Thriving Communities 

It is always important in our 

communities, to have more 

homeowners than renters. 

Homeowners generally volunteer in 

the community. It does boil down 

to economics. When someone 

owns an asset, they are more likely 

to engage in behavior that ensures 

its future value. Unlike stocks and 

bonds, a home’s value is determined 

by both the physical quality of the 

structure as well as the general 

character of its neighborhood. That 

means homeowners are more likely 

to spend their limited time and 

resources engaged in improving 

their neighborhood, if for no other 

reason than to protect the value of 

their investment (US News, Robert 

Dietz, March 2013) 

ESC’s Individual Development 

Program supports families with 

the goal of home ownership 

through matched savings, financial 

education and case management. 

Families who are chosen for the 

program must set up a savings 

account, make regular deposits, 

and be able to get approved for 

a home loan. Ms. Yoselyn Garza 

started saving towards her first 

home in September of 2016. Ms. 

Garza was working full-time, while 

attending Missouri Southern State 

University as a full-time student 

pursuing a Business degree and 

raising a family. She saved $2,000 

towards her down payment for 

her first home. ESC and Ms. 

Garza had partners who were U.S. 

Bank, 1st American Title Company 

and Missouri Community Action 

Network. She received matching 

funds of $2,000 from the Missouri 

Community Action Network and 

$2,000 from Economic Security 

Corporation to put towards her 

closing costs. Ms. Garza closed on 

her first home a year later. A total 

of $5,000 of Federal funds were 

invested and helped leverage an 

asset of $55,150.00. So for every 

$1 we invested $9 was leveraged. 

17


Keeping Southwest 

Missourians Warm & Safe 

WHO ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE? 

They are young children, elderly 

and people with disabilities. 

• Of the 7,326 households who 

have received Utility Assistance 

through the Energy Crisis 

Intervention Program (ECIP) in 

the past five years, only 4.15% 

received funds in every year, 

which is lower than the State of 

Missouri’s average of 4.4%. 

• Of the 4.15% who received 

funds every year (during 

the last 5 years), 60% were 

disabled households. 79% were 

“Vulnerable” households. 

• Statewide, more than half of 

households, 57%, received ECIP 

benefits in only one of the five 

years (steady), Economic Security 

Corporation of the Southwest 

Area had 58%, receive ECIP 

benefits in only one of the five 

years. More than half of the 

benefits received are one time 

users within the last 5 years. 

• The vast majority of households, 

80%, accessed the program for 

short term situations, receiving 

benefits in only one or two years 

(approximately the same as 2015) 

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LiHEAP) 

Missouri Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) Five-Year Usage by Recipient Households 

FY2012 through FY2016 

Abc 

Agency 

ESC 

Of Households Participating in 

Five of the Last Five Years 

65 

21.38% 

467 

6.37% 

304 

4.15% 

239 

78.62% 

720 

9.83% 

Household Status 

Elderly, Disabled, or Young Children 

Other Households 

Of the 7326 unique households who received 

assistance, the vast majority (80%) accessed the 

program for short term situations, having received 

benefits in only one or two of the past five years. 

Only 4% of households received ECIP funds every 

year. Of these households, 79% are considered 

vulnerable, with disabled, elderly, or children under 

the age of 5 in the household. Most (60%) of the 

vulnerable households included members who are 

disabled. 

1,581 

21.58% 

Years Accessed (of Last 5 Years) 

1 of 5 Years 4 of 5 Years 

2 of 5 Years 5 of 5 Years 

3 of 5 Years 

4,254 

58.07% 

18


The State of Missouri was allocated 

just over $73 million for utility 

assistance programs in 2017. 

This resource is utilized for the 

families who struggled with energy 

burden due to older housing stock, 

including heating systems. Most 

of these resources reduce heating 

and cooling costs for the most 

vulnerable Southwest Missourian. 

Over 5,089 vulnerable households 

utilized the Low Income Home 

Energy Assistance Program’s 

Energy Assistance. These funds 

are designed to provide relief 

to low-income households who 

experience high usage energy 

during the winter and summer bill 

cycles, thereby reducing their risk 

of health and safety problems. 

The majority of the households 

targeted are considered to be very 

low income with 52% of households 

having incomes at or below 75% 

of the Federal Poverty guideline. 

For example, a household of one 

would be making less than $735.62 

gross income per month. 

The Homeless Coalition’s 

Continuum of Care which Economic 

Security Corporation of SW Area 

(ESC), Missouri Department of 

Mental Health and the Jasper 

County Public Housing Agency are 

working in partnership by creating 

permanent supportive housing 

opportunities in Jasper and Newton 

Counties. The partnership includes: 

The Homeless Coalition, Missouri 

Department of Mental Health, 

Jasper County Public Housing 

During the winter, households 

were also assisted through 

the Low Income Home Energy 

Assistance Program’s Energy Crisis 

Intervention Program (ECIP). These 

funds are designed to be used with 

households with imminent threat 

of shut-off of their primary heating 

system. In the summer months funds 

are available to help with cooling 

bills. A majority of these utility 

customers were seniors or those 

suffering from medical conditions 

that require air conditioning. A total 

of 4,333 households benefited in 

the winter and summer with help 

from the Energy Crisis Intervention 

Program. In addition, to utility 

assistance payments, Economic 

Security Corporation of Southwest 

Area (ESC) was able to provide 17 

furnace repairs or replacements to 

qualifying clients under the ECIP 

program. This alternative allocation 

of funds was extremely helpful to 

the families who received them 

because replacing or repairing a 

furnace can be very expensive. 

Agency and public landlords. 

Permanent Supportive Housing 

offers housing solutions for persons 

who are homeless and have a 

long term disability. All families or 

individuals pay 30% of their income 

towards their rent, which we refer 

to as their “fair share.” Then ESC 

provides the rental gap between 

the family or individual “fair share” 

and what the rental unit’s fair market 

rent is, which ensures a safe, secure 

and adequate home for the family 

We went 

to a 

MOBILE 

APP 

this year! 

Repairing or replacing a unit can 

often increase energy efficiency 

which can result in lower utility bills 

for the family. These are federal 

funds that keep the most vulnerable 

neighbors warm and safe, provided 

through the Department of Health 

and Human Services, Low Income 

Home Energy Assistance Program 

(LIHEAP). 

Permanent Housing for the Homeless, 

Ending Homelessness 

or individual. All of this happens 

while other community agencies 

provide resources and networking 

opportunities to maintain their 

health and wellness. These families 

may also be working part-time jobs; 

in many cases they are unable to 

maintain a full-time job due to their 

disability. ESC impact with this 

project is that 85% of 65 homeless 

individuals remain housed after 

one year, creating neighborhood 

stability. 

19


Housing Our 

Neighbors 

The Rapid Rehousing concept 

assists literally homeless people 

back into housing as quickly 

as possible. Economic Security 

Corporation of Southwest Area 

(ESC) is a member of The Homeless 

Coalition and received Rapid 

Rehousing funding from the U. S. 

Housing and Urban Development 

Department. We have been able 

to permanently house 18 families. 

Families are assisted with move-in 

expenses like rent, rental deposits 

and utility deposits. It can be very 

challenging finding housing for 

persons experiencing homelessness 

who may have significant barriers 

such as no income, past evictions 

or past felonies. Of the families that 

we are able to house, 17% were in 

recovery from addiction, 33% were 

domestic violence survivors and 

17% were chronically homeless, 

meaning they had a disabling 

IMPACT OF RAPID REHOUSING 

THIS PAST YEAR: 

condition and experienced 

homelessness for a year or more 

or had multiple episodes of 

homelessness. The Homeless 

Coalition membership have agreed 

to a Housing First approach when 

working with families. According 

to the United States Interagency 

Council on Homelessness, Housing 

First is a proven method of ending 

all types of homelessness and is the 

most effective approach to ending 

chronic homelessness. Housing 

First offers individuals and families 

experiencing homelessness 

immediate access to permanent 

affordable or supportive housing. 

Without clinical prerequisites 

like completion of a course of 

treatment or evidence of sobriety 

and with a low-threshold for entry, 

Housing First yields higher housing 

retention rates, lower returns to 

homelessness, and significant 

reductions in the use of crisis 

service and institutions. 

“We like how quickly we 

got in an apartment.” 

- Satisfied Customer 

Collaboration 

Working 

In This 

Community 

to End 

Homelessness 

The U.S. Department of Housing 

and Urban Development’s (HUD) 

Strategic Goal 3: Using Housing 

as a Platform to improve the 

quality of life is the cornerstone 

of The Homeless Coalition’s 

strategic plan. One of HUD’s 

sub-goals that they have selected 

is to implement a coordinated 

assessment system for the Jasper 

Newton County Continuum of Care 

to End Homelessness in Southwest 

Missouri. 

In 2015, The Homeless Coalition 

established a coordinated entry 

system, and is referred to as 

Housing Connect. The purpose is 

to standardize access, assessment, 

referral and housing placement 

for all people experiencing 

homelessness. This is a community 

wide process that all members of 

The Homeless Coalition have made 

a commitment to utilize, prioritize 

housing through assessment, 

streamline and cut out duplication 

of services. This program has 

20


been recognized as a best practice 

in Missouri. During Homeless 

Coalition meetings regular updates 

about available funding, gaps, 

program openings and results 

are shared which helps providers 

coordinate around identified 

housing needs. 


of Southwest Area (ESC) is a 

partner agency with The Homeless 

Coalition, a collaboration of local 

community members working 

together to end homelessness 

in our area. Partner 

agencies include: 

Lafayette House, Ozark 

Center, Children’s Haven, 

Salvation Army of Joplin, 

Missouri Department 

of Mental Health, Soul’s 

Harbor, H.O.U.S.E. Inc., 

Catholic Charities of 

Southwest Missouri, 

Veterans’ Administration, 

Joplin Schools, City of 

Joplin Public Housing 

Authority, Legal Aid 

of Western Missouri, 

Joplin Area Chamber 

of Commerce, Jasper 

County Public Housing 

Agency, Institute for Community 

Alliances, Missouri Housing 

Development Commission, SOS 

Ministries, Watered Gardens, 

Freeman Health Systems, Alliance 

of Southwest Missouri, City of 

Joplin, and others. The Coalition 

also routinely reaches out to 

other partner organizations such 

as emergency shelters, regional 

hospitals and law enforcement. 

Working together, ESC leads and 

organizes a twice a year point-intime 

count of the unsheltered and 

sheltered homeless who are residing 

in Jasper and Newton Counties to 

get a more complete picture of 

this issue. The January 2017 Point 

In Time homeless census count 

revealed there were 41 individuals 

living entirely unsheltered while 

another 165 individuals were living 

in an emergency shelter and an 

additional 64 individuals were 

residing in transitional housing. The 

good news is due to The Homeless 

Coalition’s Coordinated Entry, 

there has been a 10% decrease 

in homelessness compared to the 

2016 January Point In Time census. 

The Coalition takes the lead 

responsibility for the U.S. 

Department of Housing and 

Urban Development’s (HUD) 

Continuum of Care grant aimed 

at moving homeless individuals 

and families into safe, stable, 

permanent housing situations… 

ending homelessness in Jasper and 

Newton Counties. ESC serves as 

the administrative lead agency for 

this grant as well as operating five 

programs that receive a portion of 

the funding. These five programs 

21


provide housing solutions 

along with services that 

homeless families request 

to assist them handle 

problems and issues such 

as mental health, physical 

disabilities, addictions 

or lack of skills and 

education that caused 

them to lose control over 

the decisions affecting 

their lives, thereby 

creating the homeless 

situation. Through 

support, networking and 

positive relationships 

these families can 

once again be active, 

participating citizens of 

their community. As you 

can see from the charts 

provided, The Homeless 

Coalition is making an 

impact in our communities 

in ending homelessness. 

99% OF HOMELESS 

THAT EXIT TO 

PERMANENT HOUSING 

ARE MAINTAINING 

THEIR HOMES. 

Transitional Housing 

Family strengthening paired 

with case management, support 

for obtaining employment, 

education and housing goals are 

just some of the opportunities 

offered in Economic Security 

Corporation’s (ESC) Transitional 

Housing for Homeless Families 

with Children. Families for this 

program are referred from area 

shelters, social service agencies, 

the faith-based community and 

other local resources. Selection 

criteria includes: families must have 

custody of their children, be defined 

as homeless by HUD’s definition 

and income eligible. All adults 

must work with a case manager at 

least one hour per week on their 

family strengthening plan. They are 

required to work toward obtaining 

a GED if they do not have one and 

work toward obtaining full-time 

employment. Other education 

goals can include higher education 

options. In addition to family 

strengthening and goal attainment, 

ESC subsidizes a portion of each 

family’s rent for up to two years, as 

long as they are in working on their 

family strengthening goals and 

qualify. We own two 2-bedroom 

duplexes in Joplin and partner 

with Wilhoit Properties for four 

2-bedroom units in the south Joplin 

area, as well as four 2-bedroom 

units in the downtown Joplin area. 

The program has been successful in 

the community, including property 

managers and private landlords. 

ESC also partners with several 

area churches that “adopt” some 

of our families while they are in 

22


the program. Most develop a 

close relationship and even when 

the family moves on, the faithbased 

partners maintain their close 

relationship thus building social 

capital for families too. Education 

and literacy is very important with 

our Transitional Housing Families. 

We encouraged our families 

to find an appropriate child 

development opportunity such 

as Head Start, Early Head Start, 

Parents as Teachers and/or The 

Alliance of Southwest Missouri to 

engage with. School age children 

are encouraged to have good 

attendance, good grades and low 

behavior issues so school becomes 

a positive environment and parents 

are encouraged to participate with 

school activities. 

Here is the impact Transitional 

Housing made during the 2016-17 

program year. 

ESC engaged 23 families. 

Of the 23 Families, 15 families 

achieved success, which is 

characterized as improving their 

income and maintaining permanent 

housing. Eight families are still 

engaged with the Transitional 

Housing opportunity. 

Out of the 15 families who achieved 

success: 

• 73% moved into permanent 

housing 

• 66% obtained fulltime 

employment 

• 90% maintained full-time 

employment for 90 days 

• 71% of families obtained an 

Earned Income Tax Credit 

Success Story 

FOUND HER 

COURAGE…NOT 

ME ANYMORE! 

Fortunately, once Staci gathered 

the courage for her and her child 

to escape domestic violence, 

she found Lafayette House and 


of Southwest Area (ESC). In turn, 

they connected Staci to ESC’s 

Transitional Housing for Homeless 

Families and Children services. She 

was receiving food stamps, had no 

savings, and barely made it from 

month to month. 

She knew she wanted something 

better for her family and she had a 

dream of becoming a NICU nurse. 

So she enrolled in higher education 

to become a Registered Nurse. 

Staci drove back and forth to school 

each day while continuing to live in 

Joplin. Staci had another setback 

when she lost her unemployment. 

Refusing to go on TANF (Temporary 

Assistance to Needy Families) she 

began advertising to clean homes 

as a way to earn a living. Staci has 

never received any child support 

from her childrens’ father; she has 

taken care of them herself. She 

and her children are very close 

and are a great example of a 

united family. After graduating 

from Northeastern Oklahoma A & 

M University with her associate’s 

degree in Nursing, she was hired 

working full-time in Wichita, KS at 

Wesley Hospital. Staci is no longer 

receiving any state entitlements 

and has a monthly income of 4,160 

and this is just her starting wage. In 

addition, she has full medical and 

life insurance as well as retirement 

benefits. Staci is now living closer 

to her family; her dad and one of 

her grown daughters live in Wichita, 

KS. Staci’s youngest child is in 

grade school and will get to spend 

time with her Grandpa instead of a 

babysitter while at work. 

23

ECONOMIC & FAMILY SOLUTIONS 

Promoting 

a Life of 

Quality and 

Wellness for 

our Neighbors 

Many homeless people lack life skills 

or soft skills. What are soft skills: 

self-confidence, self-awareness and 

the ability to structure a day. Most 

people who have a support network 

of friends, family and work take 

these skills for granted. But without 

them, sustaining employment 

would be difficult. 


the Southwest Area (ESC) believes 

these are skills that we need to 

Our neighbors living in our 

communities deserve quality jobs 

which provide economic stability. 


of Southwest Area (ESC) is doing 

its part to increase soft skills of 

our workforce through a variety 

of job training and education 

opportunities based upon an 

individual’s needs. In addition, 

help the most vulnerable in our 

community access: 

• help job seekers and the 

employer negotiate employment 

• customize the job placement 

to meet both participant and 

employer needs 

• offer person-centered services 

• help participants take the lead in 

their employment placements 

• foster exploration and discovery 

of employment options 

some of the most vulnerable need 

other types of resources to assist 

those unable to work due to being 

a senior, children or persons with a 

disability to promote quality of life 

and universal wellness. Our agency 

can navigate our neighbors through 

a mix of available community and 

agency resources. 

Working Smarter to End Homelessness 

Where We Live 

• provide a range of supportive 

services that includes benefits 

and counseling 

• seek customized opportunities 

with potential for advancement 

CHANCE has partners that are 

extremely helpful and for whom 

we owe a debt of gratitude for 

helping CHANCE impact our 

community. These partners 

include: Ozark Center, Veteran’s 

Administration, Joplin Job Center, 

OF THE 60 CHANCE GRADUATES 

IN 2017 

• 68% obtained full time employment. 

• 97% obtained full-time employment 

and maintained it for 90 days. 

• 45% of the CHANCE graduates 

obtained permanent housing. 

24


Workforce Investment staff, 

Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation 

and Compass Quest. 

Many low income people have 

barriers to finding work. When a 

person is homeless those barriers 

can be even greater. Economic 


Area’s (ESC) Comprehensive 

Homeless Assistance for New 

Career Employment (CHANCE) 

program offers a comprehensive 

approach to helping homeless 

individuals overcome some of 

these barriers and obtain full 

time employment and permanent 

housing. This program has three 

The U.S. Department of Housing 

and Urban Development, Housing 

Choice Voucher’s (HCV), Family Self 

Sufficiency (FSS), Economic Security 

Corporation of Southwest Area 

and Jasper County Public Housing 

phases; the first phase is an 

80-hour life skills employment 

workshop that covers all aspects 

of how to look for a job to 

obtaining work. Some of the skills 

that are learned include filling out 

paper and on-line job applications 

correctly, building skills for a 

resume and mock interviewing. 

The CHANCE program’s case 

manager is also a job developer 

and housing specialist, who work 

with several employers, landlord 

and resource providers and/or 

individuals in the community who 

are guest speakers who work with 

the class covering areas such as 

success in the workplace, mental 

Is It Time For A New Beginning? 

Agency all work together to give 

working families who are currently 

receiving HCV rental assistance an 

additional boost to reduce their 

dependence on outside resources 

to make ends meet. Those enrolled 

health awareness and how to 

access community resources. 

in the program work with FSS staff 

to set achievable goals toward their 

family’s self-sufficiency. For some, 

those goals may be employment 

related and for others it may be 

educational or housing. It may even 

be all three of these and something 

else uniquely identified by the 

family’s circumstances. Whatever 

goals are developed, FSS staff 

stays in touch with periodic followup 

meetings to encourage and 

support the family to meet their 

targeted goals. 

In addition, the Family Self- 

Sufficiency program would 

not be successful without its 

community business partners: U.S. 

Bank, Crowder College’s TRIO 

Opportunity, Workforce Investment 

Board, Consumer Credit 

Counseling and Head Start to 

name a few. They assist the families 

with improving their credit scores, 

setting and keeping a budget, 

improving employment skills and 

increasing education. 

25


Intensive Case Management 

BUILDING 

SELF-RELIANCE, 

STRENGTHENING 

FAMILIES USING A 

STRENGTHS- 

BASED CASE 

MANAGEMENT 

EVIDENCED 

BASED MODEL 

Through Economic Security 

Corporation of Southwest Area’s 

(ESC) Strengths-Based Case 

Management model, many 

individuals are ready to make 

positive changes in their quality 

of lives. This approach is a free 

service and totally voluntary. ESC 

is available for individuals who 

are interested in making changes 

but do not know where to start. 

This evidence based form of case 

management provides families 

Success Story 

LOSS OF A SPOUSE 

LEADS TO ONE 

INTERGENERATIONAL 

FAMILIES’ CHALLENGE 

Ms. Grisel Amaro, is raising her 

two granddaughters due to their 

mother’s abandonment and her 

son’s incarceration. Ms. Amaro was 

referred by her minister to Economic 


Area (ESC). She lost her husband 

last year and the home she and her 

husband had been purchasing was 

in foreclosure status. She received a 

stipend from Missouri Family Support 

Division for the children but this had 

stopped and with no income she 

would ultimately lose the home. The 

with social capital building that 

many of them lack in their lives. 

Individuals are paired with trained 

and educated professionals 

from ESC and other community 

resources. With navigational tools 

the families’ establish realistic goals 

and work begins towards achieving 

only public assistance she received 

was food stamps. ESC’s staffer, 

Suzanne Becker initially had her 

sign up for Temporary Assistance 

for Needy Families (TANF) and also 

helped her recertify for food stamps 

and ended up getting an increase in 

benefits. Ms. Amaro had no medical 

insurance and was about two years 

from drawing Social Security. ESC 

provided her a referral to the Missouri 

Work Assistance program where she 

was assisted with her job search. 

She got a job as a home health 

professional where her patients love 

her. Since working with ESC, her 

income has increased to $1,566.68 

per month, not including sporadic 

child support payments from the 

children’s mother. Ms. Amaro was 

• 95 families engaged who 

wanted to make a different 

navigational change. 

• 43% got jobs or retained, 

of that group 43% increased 

their income. 

• These families are no longer 

receiving entitlement 

benefits. 

• Out of 3 individuals, 2 

received a higher education 

degree and one a certificate. 

• Examples of Increased 

Income: 

- Registered Nurse: 

beginning income $956 

per month to $4,160 per 

month. 

- Associate’s Degree: 

beginning income $0 

income to $2,346 per 

month. 

their goals. Success is measured 

by: reduction of social services 

supports, increase in income and 

development of social capital. 

able to lease an apartment and 

recently qualified for ESC’s Jasper 

County Public Housing Agency’s 

Housing Choice Voucher program 

where she was able to receive 

monthly rental assistance. She and 

her granddaughters are thrilled with 

their new home. Ms. Amaro says 

that she got her first Social Security 

amount in December 2017 and she 

has opted to continue to work in 

addition to the Social Security, stating 

she likes being busy. 

ESC has been instrumental guiding 

this family to getting a job, 

increasing their income, increasing 

their social capital in the community 

and most importantly contributing 

to the wellness of this family. 

26

EDUCATION SOLUTIONS 

Collaborative Partnerships Increasing 

Our Neighbor’s Quality of Life 


of the Southwest Area (ESC) 

partnered with the Area Agency 

on Aging, Region X in an effort to 

assist area low income seniors in 

filing their Missouri Property Tax or 

Rent Rebates. The Area Agency 

on Aging has seen an increase in 

seniors who need help completing 

the tax paperwork necessary to get 

a rebate. In the past, many seniors 

were turned away due to a shortage 

of personnel. ESC assisted with 

Missouri Property Tax preparation 

for a two month period during 

the tax season. ESC provided the 

staff to process taxes and the Area 

Agency on Aging provided office 

space at their main office in Joplin 

and Senior Nutrition sites in Barton, 

Newton and McDonald Counties. 

Last year 331 Property Tax and/ 

or Rent Rebates were processed 

totaling approximately $147,082 

in refunds for area seniors. Many 

seniors live on very low incomes so 

any kind of rebate can help their 

budgets stretch. Rebate amounts 

vary but can be up to $750, 

which may assist them in buying 

food, paying bills or purchasing 

medications. 

Empowerment Through 

Learning 

Research has proven that the quality 

of an individual’s education has a 

significant impact on their success in 

life. This learning begins with a solid 

foundation in a child’s early years and 

continues throughout school and 

adulthood. Our agency understands 

the importance of engaging and 

educating our citizens to be productive 

members of our society. Educational 

poverty solutions are best achieved by 

combining several programs that aim 

to improve school readiness, boost 

academic performance and build 

occupational skills 

27


$6 Million Dollars...BAM! $6 

million 

Quality infant/toddler care can 

impact a child and family’s 

development over the course of 

many years. A child who receives 

quality caregiving and education is 

given an invaluable start. Healthy 

brain development is fostered 

through quality relationships with 

primary, consistent caregivers who 

provide predictable routines and 

promote individuality. The impact 

of poor caregiving on infants 

and toddlers can be devastating. 

Unregulated and poor-quality 

day care is linked with problem 

behaviors, negative moods, 

aggression and conflict in children. 

In the four counties served by 


of Southwest Area (ESC) there are 

a very small number of licensed, 

high-quality caregivers (ESC’s 2016 

Community Needs Assessment). 

Pair that issue with the fact that 

low-income families in our rural 

counties have little-to-no access to 

the resources to obtain high-quality 

childcare and you have the reason 

Early Head Start services were 

created by the Office of Head Start. 

This identified community need 

developed into an early childhood 

opportunity focused on serving 

children ages zero to 3 years. 

In March of 2017, ESC was awarded 

a $6 million dollar grant to expand 

Early Head Start (EHS) Childcare 

Partnership (CCP) services in ESC’s 

service delivery area. With this EHS 

Childcare Partnership grant, we 

were able to open new classrooms 

for newborns to age three children 

in Lamar, Carthage, Joplin, Noel 

and Southwest City. Additionally, 

this grant provided us with the 

opportunity to partner with two 

Joplin childcare businesses and 

assist one in opening her own 

Family Childcare in Neosho. 

Erin Yost’s dream was to open her 

own Family Childcare business in 

Neosho. Now her dream has come 

true through the EHS-CCP Grant. 

When asked about the partnership, 

she stated that “the partnership 

means being able to combine our 

resources and overcome challenges 

together to better provide for the 

kids.” Since partnering with EHS- 

CCP she was able to remodel 

her lower-level of her home to 

become a more welcoming, homelike 

environment for the kids. She 

has learned and grown personally 

from the professional childcare 

training provided and states that 

this partnership has enabled her to 

pursue something she is passionate 

about. Starting a daycare had been 

something she thought about every 

so often, but she never explored 

it. She chose to become an EHS 

partner because she loves the 

idea of not only having a positive 

effect on the kids in her care, but 

their families as well. She feels 

this partnership has given her, and 

continues to give her, the resources 

to do that. As we move ahead she is 

looking to gain more experience so 

that she can continue to grow as a 

teacher to infants and toddlers. She 

feels the partnership will impact the 

community positively by providing 

more child care options. 

Kidz Clubhouse is a woman 

owned business partnership. Myra 

Gonzalez’s Kidz Clubhouse is 

located on 20th and Sergeant in 

grant 

children 

ages 

0 - 3 

years 

An additional 74 

children will receive 

no-cost, high-quality, 

comprehensive 

licensed childcare 

services. 

targets families who 

are working or going 

to school over a 

5 year period 

50 new jobs 

will be created 

once the grant is 

fully implemented 

and 159 childcare 

professionals have 

received early 

childhood training 

Joplin. She was excited that her 

childcare center was selected as 

part of the new EHS-CCP Grant. Ms. 

Gonzalez’s vision for her childcare 

program is to give the children 

high quality childcare and learning 

experiences. When asked what this 

partnership means to her, she said 

“with this partnership my staff and 

I can grow and offer the families a 

28


better quality of care.” Myra said 

they now have a more structured 

facility, everyone is on the same 

page, and they are working hard 

to implement curriculum. Ms. 

Gonzalez stated that she partners 

with EHS-CCP because of the 

professional development she and 

her staff receive from EHS plus the 

enrichment and education that 

EHS provides to the families in 

their homes. She says that children 

need structure in their lives and 

to be surrounded by people who 

care about their well-being and 

education. Being a part of EHS will 

help achieve this goal. 

Christine Baird is the Owner/ 

Director of Footprints and Friends, 

Too LLC located on North Main 

Street in Joplin. She expressed 

working with EHS-CCP as a huge 

blessing. Before working with Early 

Head Start, she had been turning 

families away monthly and her 

waiting list was getting longer and 

longer. This opportunity allowed 

her to expand her business to a 

second location, which also opened 

additional spots for kids on her 

waiting list. With our community low 

in infant care the grant allowed her 

to remodel two classrooms, adding 

eight EHS spots and an additional 

infant room for six children under 

the age of two. The EHS-CCP 

Grant allows her to 

give back to the 

community by using 

funds to increase 

her teachers’ 

education levels. 

Also, by setting 

higher educational 

standards this 

produces quality 

care for our infants 

and toddlers in 

our community. 

Ms. Baird feels 

the children in her center have 

an advantage because teachers’ 

expectations are set at a higher 

level. With having a specialized team 

come in to monitor the children’s 

developmental milestones, work 

with the parents and teachers, 

and focus on social and emotional 

growth; the support alone for EHS 

families is priceless. Ms. Baird 

believes this partnership in the last 

six months has already made huge 

progress. “This grant allowed us to 

turn around and give right back to 

the community with much needed 

quality child care and will continue 

to help staff grow as well as all the 

children we serve.” 

Opening new infant/toddler 

classrooms requires coordination 

between many different people. 

While there were several vendors 

who provided 

services through this 

expansion, there 

was one who stood 

out above the rest. 

Derek Krogh is the 

Arkansas, Missouri, 

and Kansas Regional 

Manager for 

Lakeshore Learning 

Materials and has 

been an integral 

part of getting the classroom 

equipment and materials needed 

on time. In addition to excellent 

products, Lakeshore also offers free 

premium white glove services on 

all complete classroom purchases 

including free shipping, free 

classroom setup, and free debris 

removal. EHS has had an extremely 

positive experience having a 

vendor who accompanies every 

truck delivery and stays to make 

sure that every product received is 

in excellent condition. Thank you 

Mr. Krogh, and thank you Lakeshore 

Learning! 

29


Success Story 

BECOMING PART OF YOUR 

NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVES 

FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES! 

Through the work of the ESC’s 

Granby Head Start staff, they 

assisted the Sappington family 

with the Neosho Area Habitat 

for Humanity (HFH) application 

process. Just this year, they were 

selected to partner with the Neosho 

Area Habitat for Humanity (HFH) on 

their own home. 

Neosho Area Habitat is a locally 

run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity 

International, a nonprofit, 

ecumenical Christian housing 

organization. Habitat for Humanity 

works in partnership with people in 

need to build and renovate decent, 

affordable housing. The houses then 

are sold to those who qualify and 

provide sweat equity at no profit 

and with no loan interest charged. 

Volunteers provide most of the 

labor, individuals and corporate 

donors provide money and 

materials to build Habitat houses. 

Partner families themselves invest 

hundreds of hours of labor-”sweat 

equity”- into building their homes 

and the homes of others. Their 

mortgage payments go into a 

revolving fund for Humanity that is 

used to build more homes. 

“Why does this matter? Homeownership—attained through prudent lending practices—confers 

benefits for the homeowner’s family and their surrounding community, including improved health 

and school performance for children, increased civic engagement and volunteering, reduced crime, 

and higher lifetime wealth,” according to US News’ writer, Robert Dietz in a blog titled 

“Why Homeownership Still Matters” 

Success Story 

QUALITY OF LIFE 

IS IMPROVED 

DUE TO HEAD 

START PURSUIT 

OF EXCELLENCE 

Meet Vanessa Garcia, single mother 

of three children... 

“I can say that I often feel stressed 

and overwhelmed since I have the 

responsibility of being on my own 

with three children to raise, bills 

to pay, a household to run, school 

and a full time job, but only have 

24 hours in the day. Although all 

these can be a little too much at 

times, I can say that I am in a better 

place that I was before because of 


Southwest Area’s Head Start.” 

“I used to work overnights and 

about 60+ hours a week at a factory. 

Hardly ever spent quality time with 

my children and the little free time I 

had, I felt exhausted and wanted to 

be left alone. The loss of my mother 

and an unexpected separation led 

me to an emotional distress which 

was difficult to get out of.” 

“I decided I wanted more out of 

life. Spending more time with my 

children was a priority as well as 

bettering myself. I made the drastic 

step to change jobs and enroll back 

in college. It was a scary change for 

the kids and me. However, working 

at Head Start not only has given 

me time to be with my children, it 

also has given me the time to stay 

in college.” 

“My life is so much better now 

because I get to spend quality time 

with my children. I have obtained my 

Associate’s degree and hopefully 

my Bachelor’s Degree in May 2019. 

I know of resources around my 

community. I even picked up the 

hobby of running which helps me 

to keep me sane. I just could simply 

not ask for a better life.” 

30


Toxic Stress Partnership - 

ECONOMIC SECURITY CORPORATION 

OF SOUTHWEST AREA AND 

FREEMAN HEALTH SYSTEM 


of the Southwest Area (ESC) and 

Freeman Health System applied 

for and received a grant from the 

American Academy of Pediatrics 

for the purpose of increasing 

collaboration of pediatricians 

and early childhood education 

providers to identify and mitigate 

toxic stress for families served. The 

partnership set out to accomplish 

this in three ways: 

1. Physicians and Early Childhood 

Education Providers will develop 

a sustainable partnership to 

improve the identification of 

families at risk for toxic stress and 

to connect them to resources to 

enhance protective factors 

2. Children will have regular 

assessments for stressors and 

protective factors 

3. Families of children at risk for 

toxic stress will be supported 

by a multidisciplinary approach 

that includes childcare and 

pediatrician partners 

We created a multidisciplinary team 

called the Childhood Resiliency 

Council (CRC). This team included 

representatives from the ESC’s 

Head Start, Freeman Hospital 

pediatricians and staff, Joplin 

Schools, Ozark Center and parents 

in the community. 

The formation of the Childhood 

Resiliency Council was the first 

step in increasing awareness 

between backbone organizations 

that are critical to identifying, 

assessing, and treating toxic stress. 

Monthly meetings gradually built 

trust among partners, deepened 

understanding, and increased 

interest in the topic. 

To increase awareness of toxic stress/ 

resiliency in the community, the 

CRC planned and facilitated a Toxic 

Stress and Resiliency Conference. 

ESC, Freeman Health System 

and the Kansas City University 

of Medicine and Biosciences 

sponsored the event. Speakers 

included a variety of medical and 

mental health professionals. Over 

136 people attended, ranging 

from various medical fields, law 

enforcement, educators and crisis/ 

respite responders. 

The Childhood Resiliency Council 

also created a resource guide for 

use by both professionals and 

families. It explains what toxic stress 

is, why it occurs, and how resiliency 

can be improved. It asks families, in 

very health literate ways, questions 

to assess their needs, and provides 

contact information for local 

resources in clear categories where 

they can seek assistance. Some 

5,000 printed resource guides have 

been distributed. The resource 

guide helped bring all relevant 

resources in one easily accessible 

place. The family-friendly format of 

this tool has already been used as 

a model for another local project, 

which provides information to 

family physicians in their clinics. 

Plans for training early childhood 

professionals about toxic stress 

screening techniques and 

resources are planned for 

2018. 

Thanks to engagement during 

this project, the medical 

and early child education 

providers have a greater 

awareness of the topic of toxic 

stress, resilience, and traumainformed 

care. There is now 

a common vocabulary, and 

the same resource document 

is being used throughout the 

community. 

31


Head Start & Early Head Start 

Children from lower income families 

can have many barriers to school 

readiness. In the Head Start (HS) and 

Early Head Start (EHS) programs, 

children and families receive 

child development education, 

family support, health, dental, 

mental health & nutrition services 

and transportation. Early Head 

Start serves prenatal women and 

children ages 0-3 years old. Each 

family is assigned a home visitor 

who provides weekly, bi-weekly, 

or monthly home visits, based on 

the program option the family has 

chosen. Children are assessed 

in all areas of development and 

growth. All services are provided in 

conjunction with the child’s parents. 

Early Head Start also offers free 

or reduced fee full-day childcare 

opportunities for parents who are 

working and/or going to school 

full-time. 

Head Start serves children ages 3-5 

years old. Services are provided 

to children through part-day child 

development centers. Children 

are transported to and from home 

via Head Start bus transportation 

services. Children receive breakfast/ 

lunch or lunch/snack depending on 

the time of day they attend class. 

Children are taught by Teachers 

with at least an Associate’s Degree 

in Early Childhood Education 

and/or an equivalent degree and 

Teacher Aides with at least a Child 

Development Associate certificate. 

SOURCES OF 

FUNDING – 

BUDGET AND 

BENEFITS TO 

COMMUNITY 

Head Start has an operating 

budget of over $6 million. An 

additional $2 million in non-federal 

donations is received. Federal 

regulations cap administrative 

costs at 15% of the total budget. 

ESC’s administrative costs are less 

than 9% leaving additional money 

available to be used toward child 

and family services. The Head Start 

transportation budget supports 35 

buses that travel approximately 

200,000 miles per month. Staff 

salaries and fringe make up 80% 

of the expenses in the services 

category; supporting over 200 

Head Start employees. 

ESC receives just over 

$1,496,617 in federal funds for 

its Early Head Start program. 

Donations, primarily volunteer 

time, accounted for an additional 

$620,284. Operating with 

low administrative costs, the 

program is able to spend most of 

early head start budget 

head start budget 

32


its dollars on services to prenatal 

women, infants, toddlers and 

their families. The largest 

cost category in EHS is staff 

salaries and fringe, ($912,889) 

supporting approximately 30 

employees. The next largest 

category under services is infant/ 

toddler child care. Early Head 

Start serves 22 children with 

$161,276 through federal child 

care funds. The money is paid 

directly to child care facilities in 

the community to provide EHS 

child development services. 

The Child and Adult Care Food 

Program (CACFP) pays for 

all food served to Head Start 

children and approximately ½ of 

the cook’s salaries. The CACFP 

program is a reimbursementbased 

program. The program 

prepares enough food for a full 

classroom, although we are only 

reimbursed for the children who 

actually eat the meals. We were 

reimbursed $390,107 this year. 

RESEARCH 

Poor children suffer higher 

incidences of adverse health, 

developmental and other 

outcomes than non-poor 

children. Specifically children 

from low-income backgrounds 

have lower birth weights, stunted 

physical growth, and higher 

incidences of lead poisoning. 

They have lower scores on 

intelligence, verbal ability, and 

achievement test scores. They 

complete less years of school 

and drop out of high school 

more often. In addition, poor 

children exhibit more emotional 

and behavioral issues and are 

more likely to have a child as a 

teenager out-of-wedlock (Brooks- 

Gunn and Duncan, 1997). 

From the National Head Start 

Association Research Bites: 

• Reliable studies have found 

resoundingly favorable 

long-term effects on grade 

repetition, special education, 

and high school graduation 

rates for Head Start children. 

• By the spring of their 

kindergarten year, HS 

graduates’ reading 

assessment scores reached 

national norms, and 

their general knowledge 

assessment scores were close 

to national norms. 

• A higher proportion of Head 

Start parents reported that 

their 3-year-old children were 

either in excellent or very 

good health as compared 

with those parents who did 

not have children enrolled in 

Head Start. 

• Young women who have 

experienced a quality early 

childhood program are onethird 

less likely to have outof-wedlock 

births. 

• Compared to children in a 

control group, Head Start 

children are more likely to 

avoid serious problems in 

school as they are less likely 

to be held back a grade, 

have better attendance rates, 

and are less likely to miss 

standardized tests. 

33


ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

AND PARENT 

INVOLVEMENT 

ACTIVITIES 

Powerful Solutions 

• The program identified a 

need through Economic 

Security Corporation of 

Southwest Area’s Community 

Needs Assessment for more 

affordable and licensed 

childcare in the community 

and met that need with a new 

$6 million Early Head Start – 

Child Care Partnership grant. 

• The use of technology has 

improved child assessments 

and parent interaction 

through helping teachers 

identify and record children’s 

skills they observe. 

• The program uses data to 

make program decisions. 

Coordinator dashboard 

reports provide strong 

impetus for continual 

improvement in every part of 

the program. For example, 

when data showed that 

language development scores 

were showing a downward 

trend in Early Head Start, 

the program implemented 

a number of new reading 

programs in partnership with 

parents such as the Read to 

Your Child Challenge, 3T’s, 

and 30 Million Word Gap. 

that successfully reversed 

the trend. 

• The new attendance policy 

resulted in more hours 

of service for children 

and families. 

• Parents are happy and 

grateful for program staff and 

the work they do for them 

and their children. Parents 

reported feeling joy in seeing 

their child excited about 

learning and participating 

in HS/EHS classrooms 

and activities. 

• Focus group interviews 

universally noted that staff is 

dedicated to serving children 

and families. Staff frequently 

said that working in HS/EHS 

was like being in a family. 

• The HS/EHS program 

provides services to the 

whole family. Data shows that 

families receive both direct 

services and multiple referrals 

to community resources. 

• Data shows that children 

make substantial gains in 

multiple areas while in the 

program. The average gain 

in school readiness skills is 41 

percentage points. 

• The Lamar Head Start 

parents started a community 

food bank at their center 

based on Economic Security 

Corporation’s Community 

Needs Assessment that 

showed Barton County’s 

identification of community 

food and hunger needs, now 

families are ready to engage. 

PROGRESS 

TOWARD HEAD 

START/EARLY 

HEAD START 

PROGRAM GOALS 

The program has four overarching 

goals. All activities and initiatives 

should relate to at least one of 

these goals. The four goals are: 

Children are 

ready for school 

3 95.8 % of all EHS children 

were assessed at or above 

age level using the Hawaii 

Early Learning Profile. 

3 Over 90% of all graduating 

HS children were assessed 

at a kindergarten level 

of school readiness. The 

average gain from entry 

until graduation for children 

enrolled in HS was 44 

percentage points. 

Families are 

ready to engage 

2016-2017 Parent Survey 

99% Do you feel welcome 

at your EHS/HS center? 

99% Do you feel supported by 

the EHS/HS staff? 

90% Do you feel involved at 

your EHS/HS center? 

What are your child’s most 

improved skills as a result of 

EHS/HS participation? 

3 Use of new words 

3 Speaking and listening skills 

3 Interest in counting/numbers 

3 Completing tasks 

3 We are spending more 

time together 

34


Parents agree that the program 

helps their child… plus they 

agree in the ways the program 

helps. Both HS and EHS 

parents identified the same 

five improvements their child 

experienced as a result of the 

program. (from a list of 30 items) 

Program 

is ready 

to support 

3 A partnership with Integrity 

Home Health has resulted 

in nurses available in the 

classrooms to support 

multiple children with severe 

health needs. 

3 Professional Development 

Plan (PDP) is supported 

through ESC’s Human 

Resources Department. The 

program has a strong system 

of professional training 

and support for Teachers 

regarding the Classroom 

Assessment Scoring System 

(CLASS). The system 

includes: 

- three certified 

CLASS trainers 

- 13 certified CLASS 

observers 

- frequent Quality Teacher 

Interaction training for all 

teaching staff 

- bilingual CLASS observers 

- a tiered coaching system 

for assisting staff to 

improve their CLASS scores 

3 The program has improved 

its contacts with the media 

and has garnered multiple 

television, print and social 

media coverages. 

3 Since modifying our 

attendance systems, 

children’s attendance has 

been outstanding. 

3 Use of technology has 

continued to ramp up with 

web applications: LifeCubby, 

VROOM, Ready Rosie, 

TSGold, iPad minis in every 

classroom and improved 

bandwidth at several sites, 

to provide parents better 

engagement opportunities. 

3 The monthly data team 

continues to meet with 

the focus on reviewing 

program data, identifying 

improvement areas and 

coordinators telling their 

data story in a clear, concise 

and powerful way. 

3 As a result of the Head 

Start Director’s Caucus, the 

program has identified 9 

additional ways to move 

our program toward 

being a “High Reliability 

Organization” as defined 

in the book “Managing 

the Unexpected – 

Sustained Performance in 

a Complex World 

3 A Head Start Update has 

been added as an additional 

agenda item for each ESC 

Board of Director’s meeting. 

(continued on next page) 

35


This is in addition to: 

- Regular Head Start-related 

agenda items, 

- Head Start training, 

- Policy Council report 

- Other required written 

reporting materials such as 

monthly financials, Child and 

Adult Food Coordinated 

Food Program (CACFP), 

Eligibility Recruitment Select 

Enrollment Attendance 

(ERSEA), credit card and 

federal correspondence 

reports 

Communities 

are ready 

to invest 

3 Our strong partnership with 

Access Family Care, the local 

Federally Qualified Health 

Care center, has resulted in 

Access applying for a grant to 

increase the number of Head 

Start dental clinics it operates 

from 5 to 26 per year. 

3 Wildcat Glades Audubon 

Center included Head Start 

in a nature education grant 

and provided multiple 

learning experiences for 

Head Start children in the 

Joplin Area. 

3 When informed about 

our community needs 

assessment findings 

regarding food and hunger 

needs, the Lamar Head Start 

parent group started a food 

bank for families. 

3 The Carl Junction Lion’s 

Club held a pancake feed 

to raise funds for new vision 

screening equipment for 

Early Head Start. 

3 H&R Block has adopted 

Head Start as its community 

partner and has made 

several donations to the 

program. They have also 

conducted seminars for 

the policy council, staff and 

parent groups on financial 

planning and taxes. 

3 After sharing the experience 

of VROOM (a parent-focused 

brain building mobilefriendly 

initiative) in our 

program, the City of Joplin’s 

strategic planning effort, 

One Joplin, has decided to 

promote VROOM city-wide 

as one of its child and family 

literacy strategies. Over 

6,000 flyers and information 

cards will be available in 

doctor offices, city buildings 

and non-profits. Three PSA 

videos have been created 

and are being shown on 

all local television stations. 

We encourage every family 

in our program to sign up 

for VROOM. 

3 Partnerships with several 

local libraries will result in 

more books for our families 

to own. Our partnership 

libraries are Granby, Joplin 

and McDonald County 

who provide books for the 

families who participate in 

the program. 

3 A partnership with Freeman 

Health Systems resulted in a 

community-wide conference 

on toxic stress and the 

creation of a Childhood 

Resiliency Council. 

3 New partnerships have been 

developed with the Carthage 

Family Literacy Council, the 

Lamar School District, City 

of Joplin, Southwest City 

First Baptist Church, Noel 

Public Housing Authority 

and three private child care 

providers as a result of the 

EHS-CCP grant. 

36


FISCAL GOALS 

• Our Agency audit had 

no findings or reportable 

concerns. 

• The program identified a 

community need for more 

child care and met that 

need with a new $6 million 

Early Head Start-Child Care 

Partnership grant. 

• In response to foodrelated 

needs identified 

in our Community Needs 

Assessment, we applied for 

and received six “Farm to 

Preschool” mini-grants. 

• In response to mental health 

needs identified in our 

community assessment and 

self-assessment, we partnered 

with Freeman Health System 

to apply for a grant from 

the American Academy of 

Pediatrics and served as the 

fiscal agent. 

• Last year, we exceeded 

our non-federal match 

requirements by over 

$350,000 dollars. 

• We have improved our 

financial reporting system in 

order to analyze bi-weekly 

payroll reports and monthly 

costs per center. 

• Our hiring of a construction 

manager in the EHS-CCP grant 

has resulted in significant 

cost, time and compliance 

benefits in meeting the grant 

requirements. 

ENOLLLMENT AND HEALTH SERVICES 

Over 1,000 children and families 

are served by the program each 

year in the four county area. 

The program maintains its full 

enrollment each month within 

the requirements of the program. 

A large waiting list of children is 

FAMILY SERVICES 

Head Start and Early Head 

Start are mandated to serve the 

families in the community who 

kept for any openings that may 

occur. ESC’s Head Start and 

Early Head Start program serves 

just under 50% of the estimated 

eligible population. The chart 

below shows the enrollment for 

each month. 

Head Early Total Funded % 

Month Start Head Enrolled Slots 

Start 

January 609 192 801 801 100% 

February 609 192 801 801 100% 

March 609 192 801 801 100% 

April 603 192 795 742 107% 

May 598 192 790 742 106% 

June Closed 191 191 742 99% 

July Closed 192 192 742 100% 

(EHS only) 

August 550 192 742 742 100% 

September 550 192 742 742 100% 

October 549 192 741 742 99% 

Self-Sufficiency Need 

are most in need. The program 

assists families to overcome 

barriers to self-sufficiency. 

Families 

Served 

Emergency/Crisis Intervention 291 

Housing Assistance 134 

Mental Health Services 133 

English as a Second Language (ESL) Training 63 

Adult Education 126 

Job Training 84 

Substance Abuse Prevention 44 

Substance Abuse Treatment 10 

Child Abuse and Neglect Services 51 

Domestic Violence Services 13 

Child Support Assistance 40 

Health Education 821 

Assistance to Families of Incarcerated Individuals 13 

Parenting Education 839 

Relationship/Marriage Education 35 

Financial Asset Building 173 

37


SCHOOL 

READINESS 

UPDATE 

School readiness goals mean 

the expectations of children’s 

status and progress across 

domains of language and literacy 

development, cognition and 

general knowledge, approaches 

to learning, physical wellbeing 

and motor development, 

and social and emotional 

development that will improve 

their readiness for kindergarten. 


Head Start and Early Head Start 

assesses children at regular 

intervals throughout the year. 

The data is then aggregated to 

analyze results and make informed 

decisions regarding adjustments 

to individual child, classroom and 

program strategies. 

90% 

of Head Start children 

entering Kindergarten 

will achieve 90% or 

above in each domain. 

90% 

of Head Start children 

will be at expected age 

level in each domain. 

• We achieved our goal in all 6 

of the domains measured. This 

marks nine assessments cycles 

in a row with 90% achievement 

in each domain. 

• We achieved 90% in six out of 

seven domains measured. 

• Mathematics, the one domain 

where we fell slightly below 

90%, had the largest gains for 

children during the school year, 

gaining over 67 points from 

initial assessment scores. 

38

CAPACITY BUILDING SOLUTIONS 

Administrative 

AGENCY CAPACITY 

Services 

The Human Resources Department 

has been very busy in 2017 with 

the tracking of ACA regulation 

requirements and the new overtime 

rule changes and where those 

regulations may lead us in the 

future. We have had great success 

this year with securing Health, 

Dental and Vision benefits this year, 

well under the industry average for 

our employee cost at a 3% increase 

over last year’s premiums. The 

Human Resource department works 

very hard with our insurance broker 

to build relationships and offer the 

best possible pricing and benefits 

for Economic Security Corporation 

of Southwest Area. 

We have been faced with many job 

openings during the year with Early 

Head Start securing a $6 million 

dollar grant over the next five 

years. This has provided 50 new job 

opportunities throughout the fourcounty 

area. We have worked hard 

to secure employment for these 

positions and only have a few left 

to fill. 

Retirement Benefit 

The Economic Security 

Corporation of the Southwest 

Area 403(b) Plan (“Plan”) provides 

employees with the opportunity to 

save for retirement and to provide 

additional income for retirement. 

Participants can save on a taxadvantaged 

basis or as after-tax 

Some of the other tasks that we 

perform are: 

• Recruitment and hiring 

process, review applications 

for qualifications, complete 

required background checks and 

maintain personnel files. 

• Tracking workman’s 

compensation claims. We track 

all accidents and treatment 

thereafter and have to report 

annually to the United States 

Department of Labor on: 

- Number of accidents 

- Number of days missed due 

to workplace injury. 

• Track time off: vacation, sick 

leave, unexcused absences and 

free days. 

• Perform monthly payments for 

health insurance premiums and 

figure the employee’s portions 

for payment. 

• Track personnel evaluations to 

ensure they are performed in a 

timely basis. 

• Track unemployment claims. 

• Make sure random drug tests 

are performed quarterly per 

Federal Regulations. 

• And lastly answer any questions 

our employees may have 

throughout the year in regards 

to their benefits. 

Professional Development this 

past year includes both new and 

renewed certifications. 

as a Roth. Employees are able to 

start saving immediately, and the 

Plan offers a diversified portfolio of 

competitive investment options. 

ESC encourages employees to 

save for their future and matches 

employee contributions $1 for 

$1 up to 8% of deferrals. This 

generous discretionary match is 

100% vested immediately. 

BY THE 

NUMBERS 

Associates Degree 

1 

Certified CCAPs 

5 

Quality Control 

1 Inspector 

2 NCRT 

Professional 

Development » 

2 

1 

1 

9 

2 

2 

New Certified Class 

Observer Toddler 

Trainer 


Observer Infant 

Trainer 

Class 

Observers 

Renewed 

Class Observer 

Toddler Renewed 

New Child 

Development 

Associates 

Child Development 

2 Associates Renewed 

2 

New Home 

Visitors 

CDA's 


Pre-K Trainers 

1 

2 

Class 

Observers 

Infant Renewed 

Creative 

Curriculum 

Trainer 

This year we had two staff 

get recognized through the 

Joplin Regional Business 

Journal’s Healthcare 

professionals and Women of 

Distinction, Donna White, 

WHNP and Leisa Harnar. 

39

FISCAL FUNDING RESOURCES 

Row Labels 

Sum of Amount 

OTHER 38,261.30 

Developer's Fees / Miller O'Reilly Company/Forest Park Apts 18,805.81 

Rent Income & Misc Income / Legal Aid/Crowder College/Diverse Opt/Etc 18,036.00 

Interest Income/Miscellaneous / Southwest Missouri Bank/Misc 1,419.49 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 2,241,586.70 

Energy Assistance / MO Department of Social Services/DFS 1,366,922.42 

Community Services Block Grant / MO Department of Social Services/DFS 684,143.40 

Missouri Housing Trust Fund-SHP / MO Housing Development Commission 75,859.00 

Coordinated Entry / United Way 39,589.62 

ESG Grant / MO Housing Development Commission 34,195.13 

Transitional Housing / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 17,552.46 

MHTF Disaster Relief / MO Housing Development Commission 14,827.37 

Transitional Housing / Apartment Rent & Donations 5,656.00 

Donations & Interest / Private Donations & US Bank 2,841.30 

FAMILY PLANNING 224,961.03 

Family Planning-Title X / Missouri Family Health Council 172,125.00 

Family Planning / Patient Fees/ Other 38,977.60 

Family Planning / Medicaid 9,643.12 

Family Planning / Misc Income 4,215.31 

HOME REPAIR 948,878.31 

Missouri Housing Trust Fund-Operating / MO Housing Development Commission 530,275.00 

MHDC HeRO/Joplin Consortium Program / MO Housing Development Commission 131,198.38 

Missouri Housing Trust Fund-Operating / City of Joplin/MO Housing Devlopment Commission 113,840.00 

Donations/Misc / Sale of Constructed Home 106,634.93 

Lead Hazard Control Program / Unknown 66,930.00 

HOUSING 1,892,767.34 

Section 8 Housing Program / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 1,358,395.59 

Shelter Plus Care Program / MO Department of Mental Health 203,823.00 

Shelter Plus Care #2 Program / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 67,108.26 

Rental Assistance Program / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 59,533.26 

Chronically Homeless / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 38,923.98 

Section 8 Family Self Sufficiency Program / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 34,677.93 

CoC Rapid Rehousing Program / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 34,223.75 

ESCDC / Client Rent 32,947.00 

Chronically Homeless/Rental Assistance Program / MO Department of Mental Health 24,914.36 

ESC Rapid Rehousing Program / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 19,688.55 

CoC Planning Grant / US Dept of Housing & Urban Development 12,470.05 

Section 8 Housing Rent Repayments/FSS & Misc / Clients 5,374.00 

Miscellaneous / Clients, SMB 687.61 

HEAD START/EARLY HEAD START 11,473,067.92 

Head Start / US Department of Health & Human Services 5,428,738.40 

In-Kind Head Start / Private Donations 1,596,455.05 

Early Head Start-Federal / US Department of Health & Human Services 1,562,711.11 

In-Kind Early Head Start / Private Donations 1,221,334.66 

Early Head Start-State / MO Dept of Social Services 799,810.45 

Early Head Start Expansion Grant / US Department of Health & Human Services 457,750.49 

Child Care Food Program / MO Department of Health 398,259.50 

Childhood Resiliency Council / American Academy of Pediatrics 5,854.71 

Head Start Farm Grant / US Department of Health & Human Services 1,628.70 

Donations & Program Income / Private Donations & Misc 524.85 

WEATHERIZATION 697,359.36 

Department of Energy Weatherization Program / US Dept of Energy/MO Dept of Economic Development 519,611.00 

Utility Company Grants / Empire District/Missouri Gas Energy 176,357.50 

Weatherization Other Grants / Empire District Electric 1,390.86 

Grand Total 17,516,881.96 

40 

ESC is a private non-profit 501(c)3 corporation. The total expenditures for the October 2016 through September 2017 fiscal year were $17,516,881.96. There were no 

findings for any program in the audit. Jasper County Public Housing Agency’s A-133 Audit also resulted in no area of deficiency or non-compliance. Roberts, McKensie, 

Mangan and Cummings, a Certified Public Accounting firm from Springfield, MO performed both audits.

ESC CORPORATE OFFICE 

302 South Joplin Avenue | P.O. Box 207 | Joplin, MO 64801 | P: (417)781-0352 | F: (417)781-1234 or (417)781-0563 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 

ANDERSON - McDonald County | 712 South Hwy 59 | Anderson, MO 64831 | P: (417)845-6011 | F: (417)845-6012 

LAMAR - Barton County | 405 Walnut | Lamar, MO 64759 | P: (417) 682-5591 | F: (417)682-5592 

JOPLIN - Jasper County | 302 South Joplin Avenue | Joplin, MO 64801 | P : (417)781-0352 | F : (417)781-1234 

CARTHAGE - Jasper County | 739 East 7th Street | Carthage, MO 64836 | P : (417)388-7030 | F : (417)313-8545 

NEOSHO - Newton County | 116 North Jefferson Street | Neosho, MO 64850 | P: (417)451-2206 | F: (417)451-9626 

HOME REPAIR DEPARTMENT 

1924 West 4th Street | Joplin, MO 64801 | P : (417)781-4437 | F : (417)781-1961 

HOUSING DEPARTMENT 

302 South Joplin Avenue | Joplin, MO 64801 | P : (417)781-0352 | F : (417)627-2092 

WEATHERIZATION DEPARTMENT 

1924 West 4th Street | Joplin, MO 64801 | P : (417)781-4437 | F : (417)781-1961 

HEAD START & EARLY HEAD START 

CORPORATE OFFICE | 302 S. Joplin Ave | Joplin, MO 64801 | P: (417)781-0352 | F: (417) 781-1234 

ANDERSON EARLY HEAD START | 713 Anderson St. | Anderson, MO 64831 | P: (417)845-8971 | F: (417)845-8972 

ANDERSON HEAD START | 712 South Hwy 59 | Anderson, MO 64831 | P: (417)845-6644 | F: (417)845-8219 

CARL JUNCTION HEAD START | 206 Roney, P.O. Box 4 | Carl Junction, MO 64834 | P: (417)649-5746 | F: (417)649-7981 

CARTHAGE HEAD START | 1810 Baker Boulevard | Carthage, MO 64836 | P: (417)359-8870 or 358-7273 | F: (417) 359-9168 

CARTHAGE ESC PLANNING CENTER/EARLY HEAD START | 739 East 7th Street | Carthage, MO 64836 | P: (417)313-8550 

F: (417)313-8545 

CARTHAGE EARLY HEAD START | 706 Orchard Street | Carthage, MO 64836 | P: (417)313-5144 | F: (417)313-5136 

EWERT PARK JOPLIN EARLY HEAD START | 520 South School Avenue | Joplin, MO 64801 | P: (417)952-2070 | F: (417)952-2069 

GOLDEN CITY COMBINATION HEAD START | 400 North Main Street | P.O. Box 221 | Golden City, MO 64748 

P: (417)537-8393 | F: (417)537-0012 

GRANBY HEAD START | 550 Fortune Teller Road | Granby, MO 64844 | P: (417)472-7118 | F: (417)472-7248 

LAMAR EARLY HEAD START | 405 Walnut | Lamar, MO 64759 | P: (417)681-0451 | F: (417)681-0066 

LAMAR HEAD START | 1806 Hagny Street | Lamar, MO 64759 | P: (417)682-5744 | F: (417)682-3880 

LONGVIEW HEAD START | 16381 E. State Hwy. 76 | Rocky Comfort, MO 64861 | P: (417)628-3200 | F: (417)628-3233 

NEOSHO EARLY HEAD START | 116 North Jefferson | Neosho, MO 64850 | P: (417)451-5507 | F: (417)726-5218 

NEOSHO HEAD START/EARLY HEAD START | 750 National Guard Rd. | Neosho, MO 64850 | P: (417)451-5709 or (417)455-0885 

NOEL EARLY HEAD START/HEAD START | 628 Johnson Drive | Noel, MO 64854 | P: (417)475-6450 | F: (417)475-7377 

NORTH JOPLIN EARLY HEAD START | 1706 East 4th Street | Joplin, MO 64801 | P: (417)726-5208 | F: (417)726-5218 

NORTH JOPLIN HEAD START/EARLY HEAD START | 1200 North Main Street | Joplin, MO 64802 | P: (417)781-4497 

F: (417)781-6660 

SARCOXIE HEAD START | 101 North 17th Street | P.O. Box 608 | Sarcoxie, MO 64862 | P: (417)548-7325 | F: (417)548-0012 

SOUTH JOPLIN EARLY HEAD START | 4230 South Richard Joseph Boulevard West | Joplin, MO 64804 | P: (417)781-1179 

F: (417)781-1187 

SOUTH JOPLIN HEAD START/EARLY HEAD START | 4302 South Richard Joseph Boulevard West | Joplin, MO 64804 

P: (417)781-5728 | F: (417)206-3319 

SOUTHWEST CITY EARLY HEAD START | 719 North Main Street | Southwest City, MO 64863 | P: (417)762-3456 | F: (417)762-3413 

WEBB CITY HEAD START | 300 North College | Webb City, MO 64870 | P: (417)673-5967 | F: (417)673-8041 

41

ESC Annual Report 2018

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