The HomeGrown Approach

To improve community-level capacity to reduce inequality in Black adolescents’ healthy transition to adulthood, HomeGrown StL is grounded by three main functions: Village Building, the 7 Pillars of Comprehensive Care, and the Intensive and Relentless Outreach Corps (IROC).

Village Building

For Black boys and young men to have the ability to flourish in St. Louis, there must be a community or village invested in their individual needs. However, for optimal changemaking to occur, there must also be an investment in nourishing this Saint Louis village and its continual forward development. HomeGrown StL will provide a space where individual and organization members are supported in effectively working together to unite in supporting Black boys and young men in the region.

7 Pillars of Comprehensive & Personalized Care

Black boys and young men require and deserve precise and individualized care. The 7 Pillars of Comprehensive & Personalized Care is a holistic and intentional approach rooted in empowering Black boys and young men to heal, discover opportunities, and build capacity across their lifespan.

The 7 Pillars align sector specific leaders with similar work flows, allow HomeGrown StL and providers to go deeper into the work and collaborate more effectively. The 7 Pillars also build capacity, create and enhance infrastructure, and increases sustainability.

Our 7 Pillars of Comprehensive & Personalized Care are as follows:

Intensive and Relentless Outreach Corps (IROC)

For agencies to become more effective, both internally and for those they serve, there must be  a new type of strategy introduced in the St. Louis region. HomeGrown StL IROC will uniquely function at an organizational-level to create capacity for agencies to raise resources and develop curriculum trainings to ensure that their services are both accessible and tailored to Black boys and young men. IROC will also function at an on-the-ground level by meeting and mentoring Black boys and young men where they’re at, regardless of their engagement levels, to connect them to these regional services, as well as to develop and maintain healthy and impactful relationships.

HomeGrown Life Coaches (HgLCs) will serve as key service engagement specialists and service system navigators connecting HGStL members to personalized community resources in support of advancing their socio-economic wellbeing and achieving their goals. They will be: 

  • Engaged with members (and their families) as early as 12 years old & continue with them through the age of 29 for a minimum of 90 minutes per week to set personalized, socio-economic mobility goals. 
  • Trained in the HGStL Life Coaching model preparing them to support the social & health care needs of our members through a culturally responsive and anti-dehumanizing approach. 
  • Integrated with our PPN agencies extending the reach of our social and health care system safety nets. 
  • Qualified as key service engagement specialists and service system navigators connecting HGStL members to community resources in support of advancing their socio-economic wellbeing and achieving their goals.