Community resources
The Columbia Community Services Database provides information about government agencies and community organizations that offer services to people living on a variety of income levels. For journalists outside Columbia, this database can be used as a starting point for identifying similar resources in your community.
These resources and groups provide education and vocational training for Columbia and neighboring counties. We believe these resources can be useful in educating your staff as well as finding sources to interview.
Educational: Resources like the MU Family Impact Center work to provide education to families on how to improve their lives in regards to financial literacy, housing and career growth. Organizations like this are a valuable starting point for income inequality reporting, allowing journalists to improve their sourcing while also showing how public education intersects with poverty in certain areas of interest.
Shelters: Within the readership area, local shelters often provide housing, food and support to the homeless. These locations should become part of any good community reporters’ sidewalk beat, a group of locations that can help provide story ideas and context to local economic inequality and poverty. Often, these shelters are either sponsored by churches or civic programs.
Family Aid: Family aid centers often provide counseling and emotional support to community members facing poverty, emotional issues or chemical dependencies. Certain centers also focus on specific genders. Centers like this can provide a snapshot of the mental health issues that can sometimes be coupled with economic inequality.
At Risk Youth: Groups like the United Way are common in urban areas, helping communities support and improve the lives of youths at risk. One of the messages of the United Way, “we look to change the conditions that lead to their hunger in the first place,” helps make the organization a good source in any community to get a sense of what inequality is like in specific areas.
Career Resources: Local career resources can be good indicators of local unemployment, as well as provide beneficial sourcing for the economic prospects in a given area. These organizations often help the unemployed find work and stay on their feet. Some also provide education and specialized work training.
Mental Health Resources: Families who are impacted by mental health issues may not be able to seek care and therapy for the affected individual, particularly if the family has had to cut back on expenses. Sometimes, mental health issues directly impact a person's ability to seek and maintain employment.
Emergency Resources: While not specifically linked to economic inequality, emergency resources help in times of crisis and can provide an understanding of communities where the Red Cross commonly deploys their resources to help people recover from circumstances outside of their control.
Low-income Resources: Financial literacy is the key focus for low-income community services. Budgeting, saving and connecting with job providers like Job Point are all key focal points for this type of resource.
Shelters: Within the readership area, local shelters often provide housing, food and support to the homeless. These locations should become part of any good community reporters’ sidewalk beat, a group of locations that can help provide story ideas and context to local economic inequality and poverty. Often, these shelters are either sponsored by churches or civic programs.
Family Aid: Family aid centers often provide counseling and emotional support to community members facing poverty, emotional issues or chemical dependencies. Certain centers also focus on specific genders. Centers like this can provide a snapshot of the mental health issues that can sometimes be coupled with economic inequality.
At Risk Youth: Groups like the United Way are common in urban areas, helping communities support and improve the lives of youths at risk. One of the messages of the United Way, “we look to change the conditions that lead to their hunger in the first place,” helps make the organization a good source in any community to get a sense of what inequality is like in specific areas.
Career Resources: Local career resources can be good indicators of local unemployment, as well as provide beneficial sourcing for the economic prospects in a given area. These organizations often help the unemployed find work and stay on their feet. Some also provide education and specialized work training.
Mental Health Resources: Families who are impacted by mental health issues may not be able to seek care and therapy for the affected individual, particularly if the family has had to cut back on expenses. Sometimes, mental health issues directly impact a person's ability to seek and maintain employment.
Emergency Resources: While not specifically linked to economic inequality, emergency resources help in times of crisis and can provide an understanding of communities where the Red Cross commonly deploys their resources to help people recover from circumstances outside of their control.
Low-income Resources: Financial literacy is the key focus for low-income community services. Budgeting, saving and connecting with job providers like Job Point are all key focal points for this type of resource.