The 2024 Community Focus Report Now Available Online
The 2024 Community Focus Report (pdf) has been released with a new set of Blue Ribbons and Red Flags for the Springfield-Greene County community.
Although several strengths and challenges have not changed, the 11 committees have spotlighted some new areas of concern, including suicide mortality, substance-use issues related to opioids and a lack of available child care. The local economy remains strong, with a low unemployment rate and a cost of living lower than Kansas City and St. Louis. Wages are still a challenge, and the need for safe, affordable and accessible housing remains acute.
The report’s steering committee, made up of the 11 committee chairs and other community leaders, then reviewed the Blue Ribbons and Red Flags to arrive at seven key themes for the community in 2024:
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Mental health: Over the past few years, the community has brought a concentrated focus on the importance of mental health across sectors, as unresolved issues are often connected to a variety of Red Flags.
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The need for sustainable funding: Many successful initiatives and programs need long-term funding to continue to have an impact on the community.
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Housing challenges: Springfield has seen a rise in its unsheltered population, and rents have increased in recent years. The need for attainable housing has become a top community priority.
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Poverty and the economy: Springfield’s diverse economy provides ample job opportunities, but several sectors — including education, child care and law enforcement — are suffering from an inability to fill open positions. A concentrated focus on poverty has had a long-term impact, as the percentage of households in poverty has declined. But about 1 in 5 individuals still fall within that category in the city.
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Child care: Supporting children before they reach school age has long been a focus of community leaders and organizations. But the community is experiencing some gaps here: A local study conducted in September 2023 found that there were only enough spots for 59% of the children who need care.
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Community connections: Several community and government organizations have seen retirements of successful top leaders, which will require forging new networks and relationships among organizations to ensure continued collaboration, a hallmark of our area’s ability to tackle Red Flags.
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Neighborhoods and expanded community engagement: Citizens are finding multiple ways beyond voter turnout and volunteer participation to connect with their neighbors and the larger community. Now, 24 registered neighborhood associations are active in Springfield and are connected through the city’s Neighborhood Advisory Council.
The report is supported by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the United Way of the Ozarks, the Junior League of Springfield, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Springfield-Greene County Library District. Over the next two years, the Community Focus project will transition to a new structure under the Ozarks Public Health Institute at Missouri State University that engages the Community Partnership of the Ozarks’ collaboratives network.
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