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The existing social services programs covering welfare, food commodities, emergency assistance and other forms of aid have developed into a highly fragmented, complex system.

To help mesh these services, all Model Cities projects are geared toward meeting the social needs of MN residents in an inter-related fashion. It is, therefore, misleading to single out particular projects as being exclusively in the social service sector. In fact, virtually all Model Cities efforts are directed at social service programs. Among such programs can be counted Adult Education, Mental Health Aides, additional CEP facilities, NPG emergency assistance, Satellite Golden Age center, concentrated code enforcement, and parole and probation aides.

The day care project is a major attempt to co-ordinate a range of private and public agencies in one of the most important social services.

FIVE YEAR GOALS

To raise the standard of living of MN residents to a level consistent with that of the city.

To develop social services responsive to the residents' needs.

DAY CARE CORPORATION

Only 4.4 per cent of the child population (5 years old and under) in the Model Cities areas are being served by day care centers. Yet, among all families which have income at or below the poverty guidelines, 25 per cent are headed by women. And many families make informal baby-sitting arrangements.

The number of homemakers to provide day care for children whose mothers are temporarily absent from home because of illness is limited. Based on a rule of thumb used by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, one homemaker per 1,000 general population is needed. The Model Neighborhood thus needs 67 homemakers. It has 31.

Model Cities will fund a not-for-profit Day Care Corporation to implement a high-quality child care program in the MN. Half the board will be representatives from interested or involved agencies and half will be MN residents who may have children participating in the program.

This project will encompass family day care services for children, under three years old, educationally and socially oriented programs for three-to five-year olds, and after school day care services for six-to nine-year olds. Parents of children in the Day Care project will receive counselling.

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The unemployment rate within the Model Cities area has been consistently twice as high as that of the city as a whole, while the median family income has been far below the regional level. Thus the ability to acquire wealth-a steady job, good credit ratings, savings, insurance-has been severely limited for MN residents. Education has been also a factor in unemployment; inner-city schools have lower standards, and many children drop out of school. Some MN residents have consistently lacked enough training for jobs.

Yet little has been done to develop positive ways to provide employment for jobless MN residents and to attract new or expanded business into the areas.

The answer isn't simply more jobs. Ironically, the demand for workers in Kansas City is higher by far than the supply. The demand, though, is for skilled employees. Therefore, jobs which unemployed residents have a chance to get and hold are needed. The labor force's skills must be improved through vocational training.

Minority-owned business, small stores and factories, the number of summer jobs-all suffer from these harsh economic realities.

The factors which have contributed to the MN's run-down condition can be identified as unsatisfactory market conditions, inability to obtain investment capital, physically obsolete buildings, absentee ownership of property, and the general deterioration of the area because of vandalism and crime.

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