04/04/25
Reinvention by Community: Supporting Unhoused Youth
When a child doesn’t know where they’ll sleep at night, school becomes more than a place to learn—it becomes a lifeline. For the thousands of students in St. Louis who are unhoused, education is often interrupted by instability, anxiety, and the daily struggle to meet basic needs. But, what if the people most impacted were the ones leading the way, directing resources toward the solutions they know their communities need?
That’s the guiding belief behind Reinvention by Community (RBC), a micro-grant program of The Opportunity Trust that puts the power of grantmaking into the hands of St. Louis residents—parents, educators, students, and community leaders who live with the realities that exist within our schools and neighborhoods.
RBC flips the script: a committee of local changemakers are seeded up to $50,000 per round, to identify an issue in the community, find programs addressing the issue, and distribute grants from $2,500 to $10,000 to these programs. Since 2021, RBC has invested over $300,000 to support initiatives driven by local organizations and community-based programs. Each grant round, the committee selects a focus—like mental health, literacy, or after-school programs. Funded projects have included school-based behavioral health services with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, creating safe emotional spaces at Gateway Science Academy, expanding global exposure through Show Me the World’s international field trips, City League’s charter school sports league – and more.
A Focus on Unhoused Youth
This year marks the fifth cycle of RBC, and the committee is taking on one of the most urgent and heartbreaking issues facing our city: the growing number of students without stable housing. It’s a crisis with deep consequences. In St. Louis Public Schools alone, approximately 3,600 students were identified as experiencing homelessness. According to the National Center for Homeless Education, students experiencing homelessness are significantly more likely to be chronically absent, fall behind academically, and face mental health challenges at higher rates than their housed peers. Yet they’re often invisible in public conversations about education.
This is something our young people need, and if there’s any kind of way I can help… I’m there.
Gwen Russom, RBC Committee Member
Russom is one of six community members serving on this year’s selection committee, alongside Mauri Scott, Diana Spells, Steward Stiles III, Ellen Usher, and Larenzo Williams (a middle school student). Each brings lived experience, local knowledge, and a shared belief that the most effective solutions come from the grassroots level.
The committee is calling on fellow community members to propose bold, creative solutions that can support students experiencing homelessness. Whether it’s a mentorship program, a family outreach effort, a mental health service, or something completely new, the RBC grant is here to support programs and solutions poised to make a difference.
How to Get Involved
Applications for the RBC micro-grants are open now. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 16 at 5:00 pm. Multiple micro-grants, up to $10,000 each, will be awarded based on the project’s scope and impact.
When we trust the people who know the challenges best to lead the work, we get solutions that actually stick. That’s the reinvention St. Louis needs—and it’s already happening, one community-based program at a time.
Learn more and apply here. Follow us on LinkedIn to receive updates on the RBC Committee.