Workforce Development

This program works on behalf of individuals and/or groups to make sure they receive the benefits and services for which they are eligible. Working with the community to inform, educate, advocate, and preserve and increase the supply of affordable housing.

The Economic Development services provided within this department help small business entrepreneurs with business development, planning, and access to capital through instruction and networking support. Once these businesses begin, they become resources for employment opportunities for many clients coming through this department. Core program services are designed to promote business ownership as a life option and address start-up and small business enterprise expansion needs. Components include instruction in Business Plan Development, Marketing Principles and Strategies, Financial Management, Sales and Marketing, advocacy for Minority Women Business Enterprises and SBE certification, access to micro-enterprise loans, and bonding resources for minority entrepreneurs.

We aim to implement Entrepreneurial Development to introduce our participants to and engage them in the St. Louis Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. We aim to conduct three 12-week classes per site per year for a minimum of 25 participants each. Each participant will receive a 1-hour, one on one weekly Business Plan receive, a 1-hour, one on one development session, and a 2-hour weekly Basic Business Session for the class.

The BFL Micro Lending Programs currently consists of two (2) loan funds. The first program is a partnership between BFL and the National Council of Jewish Women (NJCW) Healing Hearts Bank. This loan fund provides budding low-income female entrepreneurs with microloans up to $500 and 1-year counseling with NJCW. Twelve (12) loans have been given in total, seven (7) have been paid back, three (3) outstanding, and two (2) have been written off. These loans have been used to help our participants purchase basic business equipment, insurance, license fees, legal organization, and commercial rental assistance.

Carrollton Bank Microloan is contingent on two traits borrowers must satisfy, character and capacity. Character regards if they completed all the necessary steps to continue on a path of self-sufficiency, i.e., participating in class, being on time, attending all meetings, and finishing the program. Capacity is the ability to pay the loans back with personal income or future earnings as a business. There have been six (6) borrowers of the Carrolton Bank Microloan.

According to FBI and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Reports, the number of homicides reported in the city in recent years has increased to historical levels, especially in the number of children killed. It's not just the victim affected when a violent crime occurs; it takes a toll on the entire neighborhood's behavioral, mental, and physical health.
 
That's why ARCHS launched the Neighborhood Healing Network in August 2020. The Missouri Department of Social Services has awarded a $1 million grant to ARCHS to oversee the Neighborhood Healing Network through five different non-profit hubs, including Better Family Life, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, Fathers & Families Support Center, Mission: St. Louis, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. The $1 million grant comes from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).
 
The Neighborhood Healing Network's unique strategy is to address individual crime victims and victimized communities. When someone utilizes services at one of the five non-profit hubs, staff will identify if they have been impacted by trauma and provide participants with resources available to overcome barriers to education and employment, creating healthier families in the long run.
 
The five well-known St. Louis organizations were chosen as hubs due to their locations across St. Louis City and expertise to carry out Neighborhood Healing Network Services. The hubs will also work with Alive & Well Communities and Crime Victim Center to organize educational programming for the public about abuse, victim rights, laws, violence, and available trauma-informed care.

By providing trauma-informed care and services, the Neighborhood Healing Network will work to improve educational, economic, and health outcomes for individuals and communities.

To learn more about the Neighborhood Healing Network, visit www.stlarchs.org or STL Neighborhood Healing Network on Facebook.

Neighborhood Healing Network Hubs:

Better Family Life
5415 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112

Contact India McMillan at (314) 500-4727 or india.mcmillan@betterfamilylife.org