LINC Commissioner Report
Week ending March 28, 2008
LINC joins community response to home foreclosure concerns
LINC initiative serves youth aging out of foster care
1,500+ high school seniors attend job fair
Welfare-to-work partners reach out to sanctioned population
Parent involvement effort to expand to LINC partner districts
March 5 event honors Giving Back author
Townsend appointed director of Partnership for Children
LINC joins community response to home foreclosure concerns
LINC continues to be involved in the community response to increasing residential foreclosures in the Kansas City area. Upcoming events include:
LINC Caring Communities in Fort Osage will host a public meeting on foreclosures at the Fort Osage Career & Technology Center, 2101 N. Twyman Rd., on Wednesday, April 9, 6 p.m. For more information, contact Tracy Luna, (816) 650-7365.
LINC and Northland Neighborhoods, www.nni.org, will hold a meeting at 3015 NE Vivion Rd., on Thursday, April 17, 6-7:30 p.m. For details call (816) 454-2000.
Ingels Caring Communities (Hickman Mills School District) recently held two public meetings on foreclosures in the Ruskin Heights and Ruskin Hills neighborhoods, which are experiencing a high rate of foreclosure. Angela Myres is the Ingels site coordinator.
Groups interested in holding foreclosure meetings may call (816) 410-8350.
At the March LINC Commission meeting, LINC Commissioner Jack Craft reported on the formation of a community foreclosure task force composed of representatives from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Kansas City City Council, NeighborWorks America, Missouri Housing Development Commission, Legal Aid of Western Missouri, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Mid America Regional Council, LINC and others.
Missouri’s U.S. senators have visited Kansas City to discuss the foreclosure issue. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill attended a foreclosure clinic at Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center on Feb. 23. U.S. Sen. Kit Bond attended an event on March 21 at Northland Neighborhoods.
>> Get further information and consumer resources on foreclosure including videos, brochures and news articles.
Consumers who are facing foreclosure can call the 1-888-995-HOPE hotline.
LINC initiative serves youth aging out of foster care
Young people who are transitioning out of foster care in Kansas City are getting a leg up thanks to the LINC Foster Youth Initiative.
This spring the third group of participants will graduate from Survival Skills for Youth training offered by LINC. So far, 90 area youth have been referred to LINC for services including emergency funds for food, shelter, car repair and transportation, educational assistance, job assistance, and emergency housing assistance.
Under a contract with the Missouri Dept. of Social Services, LINC provides services to youth aging out of the foster care system in Jackson, Clay and Platte counties. There are approximately 650 youth eligible for these services in the three-county area.
LINC was selected for the work based on its longtime involvement in child welfare issues and by virtue of being the state’s “community partner” for the three-county area. LINC’s efforts support the larger work of the Missouri Children’s Division case workers who are working with the youth.
LINC staff involved include Steve Winburn, Devon Robinson and Archie Williams.
1,500+ high school seniors attend job fair
About 1,500 students participated in the High School Senior Job Fair on March 10 at First Baptist Church of Raytown. The fair, free for both students and employers, was sponsored by Herndon Career Center, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and LINC.
Representatives from more than 80 businesses, colleges, universities and the military met with graduating high school seniors from the Center, Grandview, Hickman Mills, Independence, Lee’s Summit and Raytown school districts. Students completed applications, handed in resumes, and were interviewed for summer and full-time jobs.
LINC Commissioner Richard Morris held a workshop on basic interview skills and making a good impression on a prospective employer.
Also in attendance, as an employer, was LINC Commissioner Kiva Gates of Gates Bar-B-Q. Other businesses, with whom LINC Commissioners are affiliated, that were represented at the fair included J.E. Dunn (Steve Dunn), Embarq (Tom Gerke) and Tension Envelopes (Bert Berkley).
Planning is under way for an even larger event next year, with a goal of 2,500 students and 150 employers. Employers interested in participating can contact Brenda Mitchelson at (816) 889-5050.
>> Watch a video on the job fair.
Welfare-to-work partners reach out to sanctioned population
LINC and its partners in the Kansas City area welfare-to-work case management initiative are reaching out to welfare recipients to help them overcome barriers to employment.
Under a $1.2 million grant from the Missouri Dept. of Social Services, LINC is working with Jewish Vocational Service, Community LINC, Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), Full Employment Council, DSS-Family Support Division and other local partners to offer supportive services addressing personal barriers to getting and maintaining employment.
The services are offered to “sanctioned” individuals who have failed to meet federal work requirements and had their cash grant reduced under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) legislation.
Services have been directed at the following barriers: transportation, child care, mental health issues, legal issues, emergency assistance, medical disabilities, education and domestic violence.
Janay Reliford recently joined the LINC staff to work as a case manager for clients in neighborhoods served by LINC Caring Communities.
For more information about this initiative, contact Brenda Mitchelson at (816) 889-5050.
Parent involvement effort to expand to LINC partner districts
A dozen LINC Caring Communities site coordinators recently completed a week-long training that will allow a successful national parent involvement program to expand into more area schools.
Families and Schools Together (FAST) helps families improve parenting skills and promotes parent involvement to help kids succeed in school and life.
LINC has used the FAST program at many Caring Communities sites and is expanding it into all of its partner school districts. The focus will initially be on elementary schools with middle schools to follow.
Chris Daniel, senior FAST trainer, led the week-long training of LINC site coordinators.
>> Watch a video on FAST training.
March 5 event honors Giving Back author
About 200 people attended a book signing by LINC founder Bert Berkley on March 5 at the Kansas City Public Library.
The event was in support of the publication of Giving Back: Connecting You, Business and Community, co-authored by Berkley and Peter Economy.
>> Watch Berkley talk about the book.
>> Watch Berkley talk about the founding of LINC.
Giving Back describes how businesspeople can be catalysts for change in their communities. Wiley is the publisher.
Townsend appointed director of Partnership for Children
Charron Townsend has been appointed executive director of the Partnership for Children.
Townsend, who has been serving as interim director of the Kansas City child advocacy organization, succeeds Janice Ellis, who stepped down last year.
Townsend is a former LINC Caring Communities consultant who was instrumental in expanding Caring Communities and Before & After School programs.