Welcome to St. Louis ReCAST!

St. Louis ReCAST is funded by a 5-year, $4.7 million grant awarded to the department by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “ReCAST” is an acronym that stands for Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma.

The grant is funding community projects in five specific areas:

Violence Prevention
Youth Engagement
Peer Support
Mental Health
Trauma-Informed Care

First Year Community Projects

Following the first round of participatory budgeting, St. Louis ReCAST has awarded contracts for the first year to the following organizations in the following areas:

Violence Prevention – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to Employment Connection. The organization will use the funds it has been awarded to connect 90 eligible young adults with re-entry services, including job placement and case management, cognitive therapy, high-school equivalency and adult literacy courses, and additional support services like transportation passes, uniforms, and background checks. For more information, visit www.EmploymentSTL.org.
Youth Engagement – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to St. Louis ArtWorks. The organization will use the funds it has been awarded to provide after-school paid apprenticeships to 80 eligible youth. For more information, visit www.STLArtWorks.org.
Peer Support – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to Community Health in Partnerships (CHIPS). CHIPS will use the funds it has been awarded to offer a series of after-school workshops for eligible children to help them develop leadership skills and life coping skills. For more information, visit www.CHIPSSTL.org.
Mental Health – St. Louis ReCAST has awarded a contract to CHADS Coalition (“CHADS” stands for “Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide”). CHADS Coalition will use the funds it has been awarded to increase the number of hours it provides for its three programs: 1) Social and Emotional Well-Being; 2) Signs of Suicide; and 3) Family Support. For more information, visit www.CHADSCoalition.org.

About St. Louis ReCAST

All community projects are decided on and awarded through a participatory budgeting process – meaning that the communities themselves are involved in making the decisions. Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which Promise Zone community members vote on how to spend the ReCAST funds.

St. Louis ReCAST's goals are to:

Build a foundation to promote well-being, resiliency, and community healing;
Improve access to trauma-informed community behavioral health resources and youth peer support; and
Create community change using a community-based participatory approach.

The Promise Zone

Map of St. Louis The Promise Zone target area is one of only 20 federally- designated Promise Zones in the United States. It encompasses St. Louis City Wards: 1-5, 18-19, 21-22, 26-27; and parts of St. Louis County, including the communities of: Bellerive Acres, Bel-Nor, Bel-Ridge, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Cool Valley, Country Club Hills, Dellwood, Ferguson, Flordell Hills, Glen Echo Park, Greendale, Hazelwood, Hillsdale, Jennings, Kinloch, Moline Acres, Normandy, Northwoods, Pagedale, Pine Lawn, Riverview, University City, Uplands Park, Velda City, Velda Village Hills, and Wellston.

Community Delegates

A community delegate is a resident that lives within the St. Louis Promise Zone who is willing to help make key decisions about community projects for well-being in the areas of violence prevention, mental health, youth engagement, and peer support. Individuals interested in making a difference in their community can apply to become a community delegate. Being a delegate requires extensive time and effort for which each participant will be compensated. Time commitments include attendance at weekly meetings throughout the Spring/Early Summer. Community delegates should also understand that their roles are vital and valuable to the St. Louis ReCAST effort and the St. Louis Promise Zone. Now is the time for residents to have a VOICE!

Community delegates:

Receive training and guidance regarding participatory budgeting;
Increase their knowledge in the areas of violence prevention, mental health, youth engagement, and peer support;
Have opportunities for social networking; and
Be a part of the movement towards creating sustainable and resilient communities!

Youth and family participation is highly encouraged. Participants must be at least 11 years old (those under the age of 18 will need a consent form signed by a parent/guardian). Transit passes and childcare will also be provided as needed.

Participatory Budgeting Process

Delegate Selection
Community delegates (community members within the Promise Zone) will be chosen to head up community project proposals. Delegates will receive training and guidance regarding participatory budgeting.
Delegate Meetings
For approximately four weeks, meetings will be held for community delegates to brainstorm and discuss project ideas.
Scope of Work Creation
Community delegates, along with the ReCAST Core Advisory Board, will create and design a scope of work for the intended projects. Information will include: budget, service deliverables, target audience, number of people to be served, evaluation metrics, etc.
RFP Development
The scope of work for each project proposal will be converted to professional Requests for Proposals (RFPs) by the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health (DPH).
Bidding
Bids will be gathered from contractors that are able to fulfill proposal service requirements.
Community Voting
At a community meeting, residents within the Promise Zone will vote to select which contractors will be awarded one-year contracts, based on who is best suited to fulfill each scope of work.
Implementation
Funds are distributed and project start-up begins.
Evaluation
There will be an evaluation conducted by DPH staff, Patient Research Advisory Board members, and the St. Louis ReCAST Core Advisory Board to determine the success of each contract.

Timeline for Participatory Budgeting

STEP 1 Participatory Budgeting Kick-Off

Learn about the St. Louis ReCAST grant and tell us what you think about violence prevention, peer support, mental health, and youth engagement in your community.

Delegate applications made available
STEP 2 Delegate Selection Briefing

Get community input and learn about the funding priorities.

Select 80 delegates and host a facilitated brainstorming/discussion about project ideas.
STEP 3 Funding Priority Group Meetings

Explore funding opportunities and finalize project ideas.

(Possibly two meetings per week.)
STEP 4 Scope of Work Development

Create a scope of work and release a Request For Proposals for bid.

(Possibly two meetings per week.)
STEP 5 Proposal Review & Community Vote

Community review of proposals, scoring, and voting.

Issue the awarded contracts.

Violence is a serious public health problem. From infants to the elderly, it affects people in all stages of life. Many survive violence, but they suffer physical, mental, and/or emotional health problems throughout the rest of their lives. St. Louis ReCAST is committed to helping stop violence before it begins.

It is vital for St. Louis ReCAST that youth in the Promise Zone be engaged in this effort. Young people need to feel they have a say in the decisions being made about their lives, their neighborhoods, and their communities.

For that reason, young people will be involved in all stages: planning, program development, and program delivery. They will be asked to share their ideas and perspectives, vocalize their goals, help organize community groups, and connect others to the effort.

Peer support occurs when people share knowledge, experience, and emotional, social, or practical help with each other. It commonly refers to efforts that include trained supporters (although it can also be provided by peers without training) and can take a number of forms, such as peer mentoring, listening, or counseling.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Trauma-informed care is care that recognizes the effects that trauma can have on a person.

Individual trauma can result from a single event, a series of events, or a set of circumstances experienced as physically or emotionally harmful. It can have a lasting negative effect on our mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

understand the widespread impact of trauma and the potential paths for recovery;
recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others;
respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and
seek to actively resist retraumatization going forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is participatory budgeting?

Participatory budgeting is a budgeting process in which the community participates. It will allow residents to make key decisions about how St. Louis ReCAST will spend its funds on the four categories of mental health, peer support, youth engagement, and violence prevention.

How does participatory budgeting work?

Community delegates will attend weekly meetings to brainstorm project ideas and develop scopes of work for projects they want to see implemented.

What is a community delegate?

A community delegate is a resident that lives within the St. Louis Promise Zone that has been selected to help lead community projects for well-being.

How are community delegates selected?

Community delegates are being selected based on age, location of residence, and preference of funding areas selected.

Who can be a community delegate?

All residents of the St. Louis Promise Zone are eligible to apply to be a community delegate. Individuals must be at least 11 years old (parental consent is required for participants under the age of 18).

Will community delegates be compensated?

Delegates will receive a total of $150.00 for their participation. Transit passes and childcare will also be provided as needed.

How will the community projects be selected?

After the community delegates have reviewed the submitted bids, residents of the St. Louis Promise Zone will vote on which microgrants will be awarded to address the four categories of mental health, peer support, youth engagement, and violence prevention.

How much money will be spent in the community?

Every year through 2021, $650,000 will be awarded for community microprojects.

Why should I join St. Louis ReCAST?

Joining St. Louis ReCAST will provide you with a chance to make your voice heard. It will create networking opportunities for you to meet others in your community who are working for positive change. Finally, because the St. Louis ReCAST project will be using a participatory budgeting process, those who join will have a direct say in how funds are spent in the four priority areas of mental health, peer support, youth engagement, and violence prevention. Working together, we can all play a role in making our communities the best that they can be!

Welcome to St. Louis ReCAST!

First Year Community Projects

About St. Louis ReCAST

The Promise Zone

Community Delegates

Participatory Budgeting Process

Delegate Selection

Delegate Meetings

Scope of Work Creation

RFP Development

Bidding

Community Voting

Implementation

Evaluation

Timeline for Participatory Budgeting

STEP 1 Participatory Budgeting Kick-Off

STEP 2 Delegate Selection Briefing

STEP 3 Funding Priority Group Meetings

STEP 4 Scope of Work Development

STEP 5 Proposal Review & Community Vote