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6 million children — 16% of all kids nationwide — were living in poverty in 2020. This total has increased by more than one million children since 2019. The data also reveal that poverty rates remain disproportionately high for children of color.
The data also reveal that poverty rates remain disproportionately high for children of color. Nationwide, Black (28%), American Indian (25%) and Latino (23%) kids are more likely to grow up poor when compared to their non-Hispanic white (10%) and Asian and Pacific Islander (9%) peers. |
Based on self-report data, 20,744 inmates in Missouri have children, and 47,612 children are dependents of these inmates. However, it is estimated that approximately 100,000 children in Missouri have an incarcerated parent or caretaker.
In 2015, pretrial detainees constituted 79% of the total jail population in Missouri. Since 1983, the prison custody population has increased 278%. In 2018, there were 30,337 people in the Missouri prison system. As of December 31, 2019, the number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of the State of Missouri correctional authorities was 26,044 located in 22 state prisons and held in custody of private prisons or local jails.
In 2015, pretrial detainees constituted 79% of the total jail population in Missouri. Since 1983, the prison custody population has increased 278%. In 2018, there were 30,337 people in the Missouri prison system. As of December 31, 2019, the number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of the State of Missouri correctional authorities was 26,044 located in 22 state prisons and held in custody of private prisons or local jails.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “INVEST” IN CHILDHOOD PREVENTION?
Every day that we are blessed to wake we take preventive measures to ensure that tomorrow comes. We seek out safety, security, and peace throughout our waking hours in the form of doctors, family, and friends. No matter what station or position in life that we may find ourselves, those principles are the same.
Nearly 100% of our work is facilitated in marginalized communities where hope is a fairy tale, and struggle is required. Or to paraphrase Tupac, "... They see the trouble but don't know the struggle."
Did you know that 1 in 6 Americans live below the poverty line? Poverty is more than just making less than $24,300 annually; poverty is the stress of being "food insecure" or not knowing if you will have a roof over your head tomorrow. Poverty is realizing that you are one emergency away from being homeless. But to the children living in such conditions, poverty is much more. Material deprivation is a fundamental aspect of a child's realized experience with poverty, where they feel the stigma of its shadow. This stigma of poverty often translates into bullying, joning, fights,etc., and often concludes in pain, depression, and trauma.
The 12 Million Working Poor While a large number of that 100 million living at or below 200 percent of the poverty line are children and seniors, over 12 million of them are full-time workers between the ages of 25 and 64. Of these full-time workers earning less than 200 percent of poverty, the majority -- 56 percent -- are workers of color.
In addition to children having to ingest the residual traces of their parents' trauma, from the fighting and arguing, alcohol and drug use, empty promises, and much more, they also have to be faced with a broken education system. Our overarching aim here with P.H.M.A. is to end the "School-to-Prison Pipeline." Many have tried to challenge this notion by claiming that there "... is no 'school-to-prison' pipeline." Despite that notion, the facts bare themselves out!
First and foremost, this "Pipeline" has evolved through systematic impoverishment of the American caste system for centuries. The wealthiest and most powerful have always had the pick of the liter, while the poor and deprived received what their compassion was willing to give. Ultimately, the traumas imposed on the poorest and marginalized people in the country is not the lot of those who can afford to do more. Children who are sent to school from these marginalized communities have an uphill battle which commences from the night before school.
Tell me, have you ever gone to bed hungry and showed up at school starving? Have you ever tried to cover your ears as your parents yelled at each other and physically fought like strangers? Have you ever lost someone close to you at an early age to the streets, death, or prison? Have you ever heard the frustration in her voice when you were compared to someone worthless in her eyes? What are these youth "At-Risk" of? Certainly not a prosperous life!
Often the phrase "At-Risk" is coined to mean "Troubled." Close, but not exact! Here at P.H.M.A., troubled youth are those who are dealing with things beneath the surface that may be addressed with time and patience. Those who are "At-Risk" are those who are well on their way through the "Pipeline", headed towards the Prison Industrial Complex. They have developed behaviors that are anti-community, and have learned to solve their problems without any regards for others, do the forbidden, and try to hide it.
Through our preventive measures and rehabilitation programs, P.E.A.C.E. and H.O.P.E. Mentorship Alliance is seeking to stop the corrosion process of those youth who have lost trust in Community Holism.
Nearly 100% of our work is facilitated in marginalized communities where hope is a fairy tale, and struggle is required. Or to paraphrase Tupac, "... They see the trouble but don't know the struggle."
Did you know that 1 in 6 Americans live below the poverty line? Poverty is more than just making less than $24,300 annually; poverty is the stress of being "food insecure" or not knowing if you will have a roof over your head tomorrow. Poverty is realizing that you are one emergency away from being homeless. But to the children living in such conditions, poverty is much more. Material deprivation is a fundamental aspect of a child's realized experience with poverty, where they feel the stigma of its shadow. This stigma of poverty often translates into bullying, joning, fights,etc., and often concludes in pain, depression, and trauma.
The 12 Million Working Poor While a large number of that 100 million living at or below 200 percent of the poverty line are children and seniors, over 12 million of them are full-time workers between the ages of 25 and 64. Of these full-time workers earning less than 200 percent of poverty, the majority -- 56 percent -- are workers of color.
In addition to children having to ingest the residual traces of their parents' trauma, from the fighting and arguing, alcohol and drug use, empty promises, and much more, they also have to be faced with a broken education system. Our overarching aim here with P.H.M.A. is to end the "School-to-Prison Pipeline." Many have tried to challenge this notion by claiming that there "... is no 'school-to-prison' pipeline." Despite that notion, the facts bare themselves out!
First and foremost, this "Pipeline" has evolved through systematic impoverishment of the American caste system for centuries. The wealthiest and most powerful have always had the pick of the liter, while the poor and deprived received what their compassion was willing to give. Ultimately, the traumas imposed on the poorest and marginalized people in the country is not the lot of those who can afford to do more. Children who are sent to school from these marginalized communities have an uphill battle which commences from the night before school.
Tell me, have you ever gone to bed hungry and showed up at school starving? Have you ever tried to cover your ears as your parents yelled at each other and physically fought like strangers? Have you ever lost someone close to you at an early age to the streets, death, or prison? Have you ever heard the frustration in her voice when you were compared to someone worthless in her eyes? What are these youth "At-Risk" of? Certainly not a prosperous life!
Often the phrase "At-Risk" is coined to mean "Troubled." Close, but not exact! Here at P.H.M.A., troubled youth are those who are dealing with things beneath the surface that may be addressed with time and patience. Those who are "At-Risk" are those who are well on their way through the "Pipeline", headed towards the Prison Industrial Complex. They have developed behaviors that are anti-community, and have learned to solve their problems without any regards for others, do the forbidden, and try to hide it.
Through our preventive measures and rehabilitation programs, P.E.A.C.E. and H.O.P.E. Mentorship Alliance is seeking to stop the corrosion process of those youth who have lost trust in Community Holism.
WHAT ARE THE INITIATIVES OFFERED BY P.H.M.A.?
We empower our youth through education! The word "education" derives from the Latin homonym "Educo", meaning to "lead forth; take out." This means in essence that when you educate someone, you are bringing something forth or out of them that is already within them. Many of our young men and women have been beat down by their traumatic experiences and made to believe that they have no value. Two of the major principles surrounding recovery is having self-value and high self-esteem.
Our programs shall consist of the following:
Parental Rejuvenation
The parents of our youth are just as important. P.H.M.A. focuses on the parents’ parenting style to identify behaviors that may be affecting their child, and at the same time encouraging them to continue in their self-education. And not the least of all things, pushing them to play a significant role in the child’s evolution. We here at P.H.M.A. understands that “Home” is the first line of encouragement for our youth, and that the best mentor is a parent.
Prison Up Close
Mentors will give a personal look inside the mind of a criminal and why criminals share many of the same characteristics. There will be realistic conversations about the dangers of prison and stress of living within the Prison Industrial Complex.
Pull Up
We are “Boots on the ground.” We seek to forge a bound with our neighbors by visiting them, speaking with them, and assisting them in any manner that we can.
Once again, in our attempt to address the “School-to-Prison Pipeline”, there is a question that comes to bare: If you are one of those unfortunate souls that does learn prior to entering prison, what happens on the other side of your release from prison?
As Trauma Informed Community and Prevention Specialist, our mission is two-fold: prevent our youth from falling prey to prison, and for those who are existing, end the 43.9% recidivism rate currently resonating in the state of Missouri. We shall connect them to resources and housing; rehabilitation programs for substance use disorders and more. With P.H.M.A. having staff trained in Post-Incarceration Syndrome, we believe that we are equip to assist men and women post-incarceration.
BENEFITS OF P.H.M.A. PROGRAM
Our programs shall consist of the following:
- The Dangers of Criminal Thinking
- Building Self-Esteem and Goal Setting
- Building Healthier Relationships
- The Critical Change Gang Prevention Program
- Re-Discovering You
- Victims Awareness Class (VAC)
- Mending Fences
- Book Club
Parental Rejuvenation
The parents of our youth are just as important. P.H.M.A. focuses on the parents’ parenting style to identify behaviors that may be affecting their child, and at the same time encouraging them to continue in their self-education. And not the least of all things, pushing them to play a significant role in the child’s evolution. We here at P.H.M.A. understands that “Home” is the first line of encouragement for our youth, and that the best mentor is a parent.
Prison Up Close
Mentors will give a personal look inside the mind of a criminal and why criminals share many of the same characteristics. There will be realistic conversations about the dangers of prison and stress of living within the Prison Industrial Complex.
Pull Up
We are “Boots on the ground.” We seek to forge a bound with our neighbors by visiting them, speaking with them, and assisting them in any manner that we can.
Once again, in our attempt to address the “School-to-Prison Pipeline”, there is a question that comes to bare: If you are one of those unfortunate souls that does learn prior to entering prison, what happens on the other side of your release from prison?
As Trauma Informed Community and Prevention Specialist, our mission is two-fold: prevent our youth from falling prey to prison, and for those who are existing, end the 43.9% recidivism rate currently resonating in the state of Missouri. We shall connect them to resources and housing; rehabilitation programs for substance use disorders and more. With P.H.M.A. having staff trained in Post-Incarceration Syndrome, we believe that we are equip to assist men and women post-incarceration.
BENEFITS OF P.H.M.A. PROGRAM
- Knowledge concerning self
- Reduce stress and depression
- Help cure the disease of alcohol and drug misuse
- Better relationships
- Receive resources
- Healthier way to live
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