Everyday People, Inc., Columbia, Missouri, Records, 1970-1986 (C3809)

3.5 linear feet, 4 audio cassettes

INTRODUCTION

Records of a non-traditional, alternative social service organization which specialized in drug counseling and education, crisis intervention, and emer­gency food and shelter. The organization served primarily university-aged individuals. Includes grant applications, financial records, minutes, training manuals, posters, surveys, statistics, and correspondence concerning funding, recruitment and training of volunteer staff, and development of counseling procedures and programs.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Everyday People Records were donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by Richard Catlett and Rita Nicholson on 24 February 1986 (SHS Accession No. 2595). Maureen Gerrity-Wheeler donated additional material on 17 April 1986 (SHS Accession No. 2599).

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Founded in 1970, the idea for Everyday People began through the action of several community members and students at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The Reverend Roger Coleman, the founder and first president of Everyday People, was among those concerned individuals who felt that certain types of students and community youths -- primarily those involved in the counterculture and known as hippies, freaks, and street people -- were experiencing personal adjustment problems, yet felt alienated from established service organizations, were unwilling to use those services, and had no alternative source of help.

The initial plan was to start an off-campus, non-university-connected counseling service which atypical university students and community youths could identify with and trust and from which they could receive help twenty-four hours a day. The basic philosophy of Everyday People was to provide no-questions-asked help for anyone in need. When Everyday People began operating in the fall of 1970 it depended entirely on donations for acquiring and maintaining the facility located at 508 North 9th Street in Columbia and volunteers for the organization and implementation of the programs. Services offered included drug counseling and information, sexuality counseling, emergency food and shelter, crisis intervention, and referrals.

The organization jumped from location to location during its first seven years before finally settling in a house bought by Everyday People at 209 Price Avenue in 1977. Throughout its existence, the organization attempted to maintain the philosophy of providing hassle-free help in an informal, non-threatening atmosphere while facing funding difficul­ties and opposition in the community. While still remaining primarily a volunteer organization, the agency came to depend increasingly on state and local funding to implement its programs. The reliance on those funding sources required the agency to adopt a somewhat more bureaucratic style of operation in order to accurately document services. Consequently, a certain amount of operational freedom was lost, and some staff members believed the basic attitude toward clients had shifted from being helpers trying to share themselves to simply being brokers of services.

In terms of services provided, the emphasis shifted from counseling drug abusers of the counterculture to providing shelter to the homeless. However, Everyday People still provided a wide range of services, including drug counseling and education.

Opposition within the community remained constant, especially in the surrounding neighborhood. It was felt that Everyday People attracted transients, drug users, and other disreputable types and created problems rather than solving them.

The agency temporarily halted its services on January 1, 1984, shortly after the Boone County Community Services Advisory Commission denied its request for another year's funding. The doors reopened three months later under a new name, Connections, strictly as a telephone crisis-line, and the agency operated on cash reserves. Services tapered off and finally stopped in July 1984.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The records of Everyday People reflect the somewhat unstructured nature of the organization and its constant problem with funding. The collection is comprised almost entirely of subject files, dating from 1970 through 1986, and arranged alphabetically by topic, along with a short series of correspondence, dating from 1971 through 1984. Most of the subject categories are not complete in that they represent only a few years of the fourteen-year existence of Everyday People. Generally, most of the records date from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s; there is very little material from the early 1970s. But while the collection lacks continuity, it does provide a good representation of the types of records produced, maintained, and utilized by Everyday People. The records provide insight into the basic philosophy and aims of the organization and document changes in structure and operations.

The largest and most complete portion of the subject files deal with obtaining funds from state and local sources. It consists primarily of grant applications, interim progress and financial reports, and other accompanying documentation. Another large section comprises financial records in the form of expense ledgers, cash journals, check records, cash flow statements, and budget materials which document the routine financial business of the organization. Both these sections are fairly complete for the late 1970s and early 1980s with no earlier material.

Because it was important for the staff of Everyday People to stay current with trends in pharmacology, drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, and counseling techniques in order to develop counseling programs and train volunteer staff, the collection contains various types of resource materials. They include manu­als and other information compiled by the Everyday People staff, newspaper and magazine articles, pamphlets, journals, newsletters, audio training tapes, and information about similar agencies throughout the country.

The correspondence primarily concerns grant funding from state and local sources and other financial matters. Other correspondence deals with pharmacological information, community relations and outreach, development of counseling programs, the Everyday People house, board of directors business, and contacts with other social service organizations. The series is very incomplete, with most of the material dating from 1975 to 1984. The correspondence is divided into several types and arranged chronologically within those divisions.

FOLDER LIST

Subject Files Series

f. 1Annual Reports, 1976-1979.
f. 2Articles of Incorporation, 1974, 1980.
f. 3Audits, 1979-1982.
f. 4-5Boone County Community Services Council, 1972-1984.
f. 6-7Boone County Community Services Council--Grant Applications, 1974-1981.
f. 8Boone County Directory of Community Services, 1978-1979.
f. 9Boone County Tenants, Inc.--Rat Sheet, 1973.
f. 10Bylaws, 1974, 1982.
f. 11Central Missouri Counties Human Development Corporation--Agreements, 1981, 1983.
f. 12Central Missouri Counties Human Development Corporation--Community Food and Nutrition Proposal, 1979.
f. 13Central Missouri Counties Human Development Corporation--Grant Application, 1971.
f. 14-15Central Regional Advisory Council, 1981.
f. 16-17Child Abuse, 1976, 1979.
f. 18-36City of Columbia. Agreements with the city of Columbia to provide social services; proposal applications to the city for funds; and evaluations and interim reports which include financial and statistical information on social services provided by Everyday People.
f. 18Agreements, 1977-1978, 1982.
f. 19Program Evaluation, 1981-1982.
f. 20-28Proposal Applications, 1977-1982.
f. 29-31Quarterly Financial Reports, 1976-1984.
f. 32Narrative Reports--Crisis Intervention, 1978-1983.
f. 33Narrative Reports--Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment, 1978-1980.
f. 34Narrative Reports--Emergency Food, 1978-1984.
f. 35Narrative Reports--Emergency Housing, 1978-1984.
f. 36Narrative Reports--Information and Emergency Assistance, 1983-1984.
f. 27-42Coleman. A collection of documents, 1970-1972, compiled by the found­er of Everyday People, the Reverend Roger Coleman, that captures the spirit of the times and the original intent and early history of Everyday People. Includes letters, poems, drawings, photographs, minutes of board meetings, and newspaper clippings. Many of the documents include comments by Coleman. Arranged chronologically.
f. 43Columbia Drug Abuse Council, Inc., 1972.
f. 44Connections, 1984.
f. 45Consumer Help.
f. 46Crime Prevention.
f. 47Crisis Centers, Arizona-Arkansas.
f. 48Crisis Centers, California.
f. 49Crisis Centers, Colorado-Minnesota.
f. 50Crisis Centers, Missouri-Virginia.
f. 51Crisis Management Committee, 1980.
f. 52Danforth Foundation Grant, 1972.
f. 53Dial-a-Tape System Proposal, 1982.
f. 54Donation Log, 1983.
f. 55-60Drugs. Statistics on types of drugs used by clients of Everyday People and resource mate­rials on drug identi­fication, physical and psychological effects of drug abuse, and treatment.
f. 55Drug Identification Statistics, 1975-1981.
f. 56-59Drug Information.
f. 60"Drug Survival News," 1977-1978.
f. 61"Everyday News," 1976, 1980-1981.
f. 62Family Stress Hotline, 1980.
f. 63-86Financial Records. Financial records documenting the routine financial operations of Everyday People. Includes expense ledgers, budgets, cash and payroll journals, cash flow statements, and check records. These records are fairly complete for the late 1970s and early 1980s; there is very little earlier material.
f. 63Cash Disbursement Journal, 1977-1980.
f. 64-65Cash Flow Statements, 1976-1984.
f. 66Cash Receipts Jour­nal, 1977-1978.
f. 67-69Check Records, 1972-1978.
f. 70-81Ledgers, 1977-1982.
f. 82-84Miscellaneous Financial Records, 1975-1984.
f. 85Miscellaneous Financial Records, n.d.
f. 86Payroll Journal, 1977-1980.
f. 87-88Forms
f. 89Fundraisers, 1978-1979.
f. 90Job Descriptions--Everyday People.
f. 91Men and Alternative Life Experiences Project Grant, 1976.
f. 92Mid-Missouri Alcoholism Coordinating Committee, 1977.
f. 93-97Minutes--Board of Directors Meetings, 1972-1984.
f. 98-123Missouri State Grants. Material concerning grants funded by the state of Missouri for alcohol and drug abuse prevention, health education, and crisis intervention programs administered by Everyday People. Includes proposals, financial records, correspondence, interim reports, and other documentation. Fairly complete for the late 1970s and early 1980s.
f. 98-99Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Grant, 1982.
f. 100-101Comprehensive Public Health Services Grant, 1980.
f. 102-106Health Education/Risk Reduction Grant, 1980-1982.
f. 107Hot Line Services Grant, 1978.
f. 108Human Rights Assurances, 1978-1982.
f. 109-115Men's Crisis Center Grant, 1979-1981.
f. 116-117Mental Health Formula Grant, 1977.
f. 118Monitoring Reports, 1980-1981.
f. 119Purchase of Service Contractual Agreement, 1981.
f. 120Qualified Service Agreements, 1979.
f. 121-123Title XX Grant Proposal, 1976-1977.
f. 124-125Missouri Conference of the Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs, 1982.
f. 126Missouri Prevention Network, 1979-1982.
f. 127"The National Exchange," 1972-1975.
f. 128Newspaper Clippings, 1972-1978.
f. 129Newspaper Clippings, 1979-1982, 1986.
f. 130-131Operation Spark, 1980-1981.
f. 132-143Photographs. Photographs of Everyday People staff, activities, clients, and facilities. The majority of the photographs are from the period 1974-1977.
f. 144-147Policies and Procedures Manual for Certification, 1982.
f. 148-149Posters, Announcements, and Fliers.
f. 150Public Service Announcements, 1982-1983.
f. 151Referral Organizations.
f. 152Referral Statistics.
f. 153-154Reorganization Materials, 1972-1974.
f. 155-156Resumes 1975-1981.
f. 157School of Social Welfare, Course 491--Professional Leadership, 1976.
f. 158"The Social Psychology of a Direct Service Voluntary Organization."
f. 159Staff Lists, 1975-1979.
f. 160Staff Priority Project, 1977.
f. 161Staff Survey, 1982-1983.
f. 162-163Statistics, 1974-1983.
f. 164Statistics--Computer-generated, 1983.
f. 165-170Training. Materials used in training volunteer staff at Everyday People. Consists of manuals and other information compiled by the organization concerning general procedures, communication and interpersonal relationships, counseling techniques, pharmacology, and suicide. Also includes articles and pamphlets from outside sources on similar topics.
f. 165Drugs.
f. 166General, 1971-1983.
f. 167-168General, n.d.
f. 169Manual.
f. 170Suicide.
a.c. 1-4Training. Four cassettes used in training volunteer counselors. Contain hypothetical counseling situations concerning alienation, drug abuse, interpersonal communication, and general crisis situations along with varied responses and approaches that may be employed by counselors.
f. 171-172U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Ad Hoc Advisory Committee.
f. 173Women's Issues, 1970-1980.

Correspondence Series

f. 174Drugs, 1976.
f. 175-183General, 1971-1984.
f. 184General, n.d.
f. 185House, 1978-1979.
f. 186-187Missouri Department of Mental Health, 1978-1983.

Audio Cassettes Series

a.c. 1-4Training. See also f. 165-170.

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.