Editor's Note: The following article is a release from the Pattonville School District. 

The Pattonville School District has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the National Joint Powers Alliance. 

Pattonville social worker Mike Siebe submitted the grant, which will support the work of the Pattonville Community Action Team (PCAT), a group of Pattonville staff members and community members working to help stabilize and support Pattonville families in need. 

Over the course of the past year, Pattonville has engaged the faith community, financial institutions, landlords, charitable organizations, governmental entities and many others in the Pattonville community that are concerned about the financial instability of many Pattonville families. 

PCAT serves as a forum to discuss related trends and develop solutions that directly impact families. The group developed a program called P5 to help Pattonville families who have been referred by numerous sources to achieve financial stability with the ultimate goal of residential stability.

The name of the program refers to the five communities that feed into Pattonville (Bridgeton, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights, St. Ann and St. Louis County).

PCAT researched what core elements were necessary in a program that could successfully move families to financial stability. Those elements included coordinated services; links to benefits and community resources; programs for the families without bank accounts; financial literacy education; crisis services (rent and utility assistance); and asset development. The P5 program developed by the partners of PCAT covered all of the listed elements, with the exception of asset development, a critical component in assisting families with saving money for deposits on apartments, paying off creditors (thereby improving credit) and preparation for financial crises to keep them from falling back into financial instability. 

The AASA grant money will be used to fund a 1:1 matching Individual Development Account for families seeking to achieve or maintain financial and residential stability. The program elements include an assessment of needs, implementation of services and evaluation of effectiveness. Essential to the program is the families’ commitment toward financial stability as indicated by participation in recommended services including budgeting, credit recovery and setting financial goals. Families with financial literacy issues would be referred to one of three entities: Grace Church St. Louis, St. Louis Community Credit Union or Vantage Credit Union, depending upon their preference. They would be required to work with a specialist on credit recovery, budgeting and setting financial goals. The credit unions would set up an account with the family (if the family does not already have one) into which family savings would be matched dollar for dollar up to $250. The matching funds will only be accessed once the family completes the requirements of the program.