Program areas at East Side Neighborhood Services
East Side offers a holistic approach to community impact. We offer programs and Services across all generations to address the community's most critical needs. Each program has goals and objectives that align with East Side's three priority impact areas.senior community service employment program (scsep) - promotes the dignity and self-sufficiency of older, unemployed, low-income residents by placing them in temporary part-time community service jobs in which they earn minimum wage. Scsep served 175 older low-income adults through work experience and training focused on developing technological skills needed for the remote and blended workplace. Of these, 17 exited the program and four transitioned to unsubsidized employment.vital living helps older adults engage with others, better manage their mental health and chronic conditions, and maintain independence. Also provides caregiving support through respite, education, and other support Services. Vital living offered health and wellness Services to 315 older adults and their caregivers, including 53 through evidence-based juniper classes. 90% of those who completed these classes indicated that they learned skills that had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing. Transportation we provide transportation Services across all program areas. The primary function of the transportation department is to provide transportation for people 60 and over and people with disabilities assisted transportation for shopping needs, to attend medical appointments, and more. In 2021, East Side provided 12,499 rides to 252 older and/or disabled adults.
Creative arts therapy - provides trauma-informed preventative and needs-based programming to individuals and groups. The program is designed to enrich self-esteem and interpersonal skills, support development of healthy coping methods, and encourage healthy risk-taking. Creative arts therapy served 18 youth through individual and targeted group therapy; of these, 67% were bipoc. 111 additional youth were served through group prevention activities.northeast child development center (necec) - early childhood education for children from six weeks through preschool. The program helps children to develop physically, socially, and cognitively according to individual learning styles. In 2022, 97 children were enrolled, including 23 infants, 32 toddlers, and 42 preschoolers. Of these children, 82% of infants, 87% of toddlers and 88% of preschoolers are developmentally on track, and those assessed as not on track were referred to additional support Services, including mental health, speech, occupational and physical therapy.
Camp bovey located in gordon, Wisconsin, camp bovey offers nature education and outdoor skills through residential camp sessions for youth, ages 9-13, and family groups each summer. In the summer of 2022, we were able to offer six family camps, taking place over a three- to four-day weekend at camp bovey, serving a total of 102 people from 21 family (and extended family) groups. Sixty-two of those were youth or young adults and the rest were adult family.out-of-school time (ost) programs provides academic enrichment and mentoring for youth at five sites-- three locations serving children in kindergarten through fifth grade and two sites serving youth in sixth through twelfth grade. Ost programs served 355 youth in grades k-12 in 2022. Targeted literacy Services were provided to 156 k-5 youth. 99% of youth surveyed indicated they enjoy their out-of-school time program and feel cared for by staff. 96% of parents surveyed felt the program supported their child's academic development.menlo park academy - an alternative high school within the minneapolis public school district. The school typically has around 60-75 students enrolled each year in grades nine through twelve. Most are significantly behind in the number of credits needed to graduate. Menlo park academy embraces students who are feeling disenfranchised in traditional public school and struggling to engage. Menlo utilizes social-emotional learning strategies and a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment to revive students' enthusiasm to learn, grow, and achieve. Menlo enrolled 74 students in 2022, and graduated ten, with six scholarships awardedbe@school - helps increase the attendance of students by eliminating barriers and providing support to families and connecting them to Services to meet their needs. Be@school served 128 youth and their families. 75% of the families who accessed the program resolved attendance issues and avoided truancy. 100% of families received assistance with accessing distance learning materials and resources when needed, and with registering for in-person learning and getting school supplies if needed.
Family healing provides trauma-informed therapeutic Services to instigators of domestic violence so they can take responsibility for their actions, understand the impact of these actions, and learn and practice behaviors that break the cycle of violence. Family healing provided Services to 136 individuals convicted of domestic-related charges in 2022. 51 completed the program, and of those, 49 had not reoffended after 6 months.food programs - provide food support for minneapolis and hennepin county residents who may have difficulty accessing traditional food shelves or grocery stores. We have two on-site food shelf programs and a mobile food shelf program serving 46 low-income apartment buildings. Food programs distributed 865,277 pounds of food to 5,574 participants in need in 2022. A third of the food distributed was fresh fruits and vegetables.
Youth employment - offers youth ages 14-21 opportunities to develop and achieve goals for academic success, provides job skills and career development, and helps forge connections between training, internships, and volunteer work to help youth gain on-the-job experience. The program placed and supported 27 low-income youth and young adults in paid internships designed to build workplace readiness skills.