Prosper Springfield explains improvements, sets goals to further reduce poverty by 2030

After noting a positive reduction in Springfield poverty since 2015, Prosper Springfield outlined a new target for the next 10 years and outlined recommendations to reduce poverty by 2030.

Formed in 2015, Prosper Springfield was created to collaborate with all the entities in Springfield, study poverty, and ultimately work with local non-profits, businesses and governments to reduce poverty.

Goals to reduce Springfield poverty by five percentage points and increase postsecondary educational attainment in the city from 39.5 to 48% were set in 2015. Prosper Springfield hoped to reach these goals by 2025.

In 2015, Springfield had an overall poverty rate of 27.5%. According to the organization, poverty fell in Springfield to 21.7% by 2021.

"Technically speaking, we still have two more years to work on that one percent. But we felt ... we're close enough to that goal now with what we know that we can set another realistic goal that's measurable, doable, and will help Springfield as a whole," Prosper Springfield Director Francine Pratt said at a Tuesday press conference.

Asked if inflation and the economic downturn of 2022 could have reversed Springfield poverty's downward trend, Pratt said Springfield had little control over inflation or other nationwide factors.

"One of the things we've always been careful of when we come up with these recommendations, is making sure it's something we can do here and something we can control here," Pratt said.

• Based on this positive trendline, Prosper Springfield set new goals to reach by 2025. They hope to lover the poverty rate by 10% for individuals with disabilities, racial and ethnic minority populations and people with health disparities. They also set a goal to increase post-secondary education attainment (education beyond high school) for all population groups to 60%, and to increase labor force participation for all groups to 70%.

Asked if these goals were optimistic, Pratt replied they were "realistic."

To reach these new goals by 2030, Prosper Springfield outlined several sets of recommendations for municipal government, local organizations and non-profits to help toward the 2030 targets. A full list of recommendations can be found at https://prosperspringfield.org/.

Housing recommendations

• Adapt Greene County charter to develop a "Housing Trust Fund" to support affordable housing projects.

• Additional funding to the city's Public Information Office to increase city outreach in English, Spanish, and other needed languages.

• Provide paper copies of outreach materials and fliers to sober living homes.

• Discuss feasibility with city leaders of establishing requirements for builders to meet universal design guidelines to receive funding for affordable housing. According to Prosper Springfield, these guidelines would "create more adaptable housing design to accommodate special needs of aging and populations with disabilities."

• Raise funding for "shovel-ready" projects and partners ready to participate in increasing emergency shelters.

• Establish a task force to engage the private sector and investors to allocate rental units to be used by Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness agencies.

• Develop "purpose driven day center" for individuals without shelter to provide direct access to mental health and other services.

Jobs/economic climate recommendations

• Endorse and recognize programs like Dream Center, Drew Lewis Foundation's RISE program, Jobs for Life, O'Reilly Center for Hope and other programs with educational components, apprenticeship programs, and development of essential skills required for job readiness.

• Establish a job resource fair, twice a year to connect employers to "hidden workers" — nontraditional subgroup populations such as individuals with disabilities, previously incarcerated individuals, grandparents raising children, limited or no English proficiency, immigrants, veterans and others.

• Create opportunities to showcase businesses exceptional in hiring "hidden workers" with starting pay of $14 or more.

• Establish business forums for employers to share challenges in hiring "hidden workers."

Transportation recommendations

• Launch bike and scooter sharing programs, electric buses, and soft surface parallel trails to connect community facilities

• Develop a plan to implement ADA button or pushbutton doors to increase disability accommodations.

• Make 'significant investments' in public transit, integration of bike lanes, more walkable communities, and include improved ADA accessibility in public spaces.

• Non-profits and local government should discuss the feasibility of satellite offices or online services when a lack of transportation hinders access.

Public safety recommendations

• Create an engagement campaign to cross-promote police and Fire safety, public works, EMS, emergency communications, emergency management and trauma prevention education with events.

• Aggressively address chronic nuisance properties.

• Provide interpreters for public forums, legal matters and safety matters.

• Empower the Police Citizen Review Board to make recommendations to City Council and the Mayor.

• Meet with SPD and/or Greene County Sheriff's Department to understand changes that can be communicated to the public regarding efforts to release individuals with charges related to the use of medical marijuana and other infractions that effect jail overcrowding.

• Conduct a study on the level of trust of the Springfield Police Department within the community.

At the press conference, Mayor Ken McClure promised to investigate all of Prosper Springfield's recommendations.

"It’s very easy to get wrapped up in what we do on a daily basis and not always see the big picture, to step back and see what is going on and say, ‘You know, we are making progress. It seems so massive, but we are making good progress," McClure said of Springfield's poverty.

Andrew Sullender is the local government reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow him on Twitter @andrewsullender. Email tips and story ideas to asullender@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Prosper Springfield shares improvements, sets goals to reduce poverty