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Brian Flinchpaugh, Provident, Inc.

Phone: (314) 802-2623; Cell: (314) 750-3839

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Website: www.providentstl.org

For Release: May 23, 2006

PROVIDENT EXPANDS MID-TOWN YALEM OFFICE TO ACCOMMODATE
MOVE OF LIFE CRISIS SERVICES LATER THIS YEAR

Provident is expanding its headquarters and administrative offices in downtown St. Louis to accommodate Life Crisis Services’ suicide and crisis intervention telephone hotline – a move that will ultimately save money and help increase services.
Life Crisis Services operates one of the nation's oldest 24-hour, 365-day crisis hotlines – (314) 647-HELP (4357) – that answers more than 100 calls a day. It also provides Missouri's Gambling Helpline – 1-888-BETSOFF – as well as support groups for suicide survivors and training for social work students.

Life Crisis merged with Provident in 2003 and celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. It's expected to move from its present office at 1423 S. Big Bend Boulevard into its new home this October. It has been housed at the Big Bend office for more than 20 years.

The expansion also underscores Provident's continued commitment to the city of St. Louis, where it has been located for 145 years.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 23 and construction will begin soon on the 2,700-square-foot new addition to the Yalem Center at 2650 Olive Street.  The Yalem Center was built in 1965, thanks to a major contribution from Charles Yalem, a prominent St. Louis philanthropist, as well as contributions from several foundations.  It  will remain open during construction.

Provident was founded in 1860, and provides behavioral health and community services, as well as operates social enterprise businesses at Yalem and six other locations in Missouri and Illinois.

"The truth is that we need the space," said Kathleen E. Buescher, president and chief executive officer for Provident. "And it's time for Life Crisis Services to move to better quarters."

She added, "Our support group for suicide survivors can use a larger conference room to meet. Our volunteers and staff who monitor the hotline can use a better, more efficient environment to respond to calls and more efficient space for training. Our telephonic counseling is moving in an exciting direction that will provide new and unique opportunities for older adults and their families to reach out to us when they need someone."

The addition will include a new call center, and a larger modular conference facility to accommodate the more than 100 volunteers and staff who work the hotline annually.  

"New space and state-of-the-art facilities here will allow us to address these needs and integrate our services more efficiently and at less cost," Buescher said. "And we’ll be able to do our jobs better—and, yes, as I said before, save more lives and help more people."

Buescher said plans for the newer facility allow for space to be used more efficiently. More parking and good security will be available at the expanded offices, she said. The expansion will pay for itself in a few years because of savings on rent and other communications expenses, she added.  

Meanwhile, Provident is planning to hold a 40th anniversary celebration for Life Crisis Services at a dinner on Wednesday, November 1 at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton.  Details are still being finalized.

Buescher said that the expansion also is a statement of Provident's commitment to the city of St. Louis. "It's part of the exciting redevelopment that's ongoing in downtown and midtown and we're proud to be part of it," she said. "Our roots are here— we've been headquartered in the city for 145 years. We also see a dynamic future here and we hope our efforts serve as a catalyst for others."

This expansion comes on the heels of another new beginning for the agency. The agency changed its name to "Provident, Inc.," from "Provident Counseling" as of March 1, 2006, and also has a new logo.  The changes aren’t merely cosmetic. "We also have an expanded vision that redefines how Provident will serve the St. Louis community," Buescher said. "We’re talking about serving people in ways far beyond what this organization has done in the recent past."

The planning effort has been ongoing since Provident's Board of Directors adopted a series of "Ends Statements" in 2004 directing the agency to help low income families, underserved youth, and impoverished communities.

"We aren't changing what we do—we're continuing to provide mental health counseling; community services that help families and young people; and job training, employee counseling, and home health care through our social enterprises," Buescher said.  "But we’re reshaping the way in which those services are delivered."

One of Provident's first new steps is the launching of our Self-Reliant Communities Initiative in the O'Fallon-Penrose neighborhoods of north St. Louis.  Provident will work with the neighborhoods and other collaborators to improve the quality of life in these areas.

"Our goal can be seen in the tagline underneath our shiny new logo – creating hope, self-reliance, and social impact," Buescher said.

Added Note: Expansion Project Team Led by Stocker Construction

Stocker Construction, headquartered in Kirkwood, is the general contractor for the Yalem expansion project.  The firm provides general contracting, design-build, and construction management services to a number of clients including telecommunications providers, retailers, schools and churches.  Other firms involved in the project include Sutton Studio, architect; Aschinger Electric, Flooring Systems, Columbia Iron Works, Hauser Mechanical, and Fabri-Tech Sheet Metal, Inc.