Even Spartans Have the Agoge

/ SENT Impact / By

A case for one-stop shop resource centers and coordinated care

One of my favorite movies of all time is 300. The cinematography is unforgettable, but what has always stayed with me is not the line most people quote.

Before Leonidas ever kicks the emissary into the pit, we see something quieter and far more important. We see preparation.

The opening sequence ends with a young Leonidas completing his training in the Agoge. He is barefoot, exposed to the cold, alone in the wilderness with only a spear. He faces the wolf and survives.

But that moment only makes sense because of what came before it.

Leonidas was first formed in his parents’ home, sparring with his father in a loving and supportive environment. Then he entered the Agoge, a demanding system, but one that still included mentors, structure, and shared accountability. The goal was never to abandon boys in the wilderness and hope they figured it out. The goal was preparation over time so that, when the moment came, they were ready.

That image has become a lens for how I think about our health and human services systems.

Too often, we expect people to face the wolf without an Agoge.

We expect families to navigate fragmented systems on their own. We expect young adults to meet work requirements without partners to walk with them. We expect new mothers to remain connected to care after birth without relational support. We expect people facing trauma, addiction, food insecurity, or housing instability to survive the harshest conditions with no guide.

That is not resilience. That is neglect.

The data tells the same story.

Federal research consistently shows that fragmented benefit systems create what is known as churn. Churn refers to the repeated loss and re-enrollment of benefits among people who are still eligible. National estimates indicate that roughly 20 to 30 percent of participants in programs like Medicaid and SNAP experience churn each year, most often because of missed paperwork, deadlines, or notices rather than changes in income or need.

When services are disconnected, participation drops and instability increases. When services are coordinated, outcomes improve.

Studies from the Urban Institute and the Administration for Children and Families show that centralized and co-located service models increase program participation, reduce duplication, and allow staff to spend more time walking alongside people instead of processing forms. Research published in the RSF Journal further demonstrates that whole-family approaches improve child outcomes even when services are delivered to adults, because caregiver stability is one of the strongest predictors of child well-being.

This matters even more under current federal policy.

Analyses of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act estimate that nearly 3 in 10 young adults could lose Medicaid coverage, not because they are ineligible, but because of new reporting and work requirement barriers. Similar analysis shows that nearly 3 million young adults could lose SNAP benefits, largely due to administrative hurdles. In both cases, most people who lose benefits still qualify.

Counties are absorbing the administrative burden. Families are absorbing the consequences.

This is exactly where SENT’s model fits.

SENT exists to be the Agoge, without the fights, the loss of eyes, or the extreme brutality, of course. Think less survival horror and more partnership, accessibility, and extensive journeying alongside people.

For SENT, coordinated care is not a buzzword. It looks like people.

At its core, SENT’s posture is with, not to or for. We do not fix people or manage cases from a distance. We partner, walk alongside, and journey with neighbors as they navigate systems together.

Not in a harsh or punitive way, but in a human one. Coordinated care at SENT takes shape through Community Liaisons who walk with families through complex systems, Neighbor Advocates who build trust and continuity at the situation and crisis level, Community Health Workers who bridge medical care and daily life, and Campus Connection Coordinators who remain embedded in schools to support students, caregivers, and staff.

Together, these roles form a one-stop environment in which housing stability, food access, medical care, behavioral health, workforce development, and benefits navigation are integrated rather than siloed.

This approach is not accidental. It reflects what the evidence says works.

Take maternal health as one example. Nationally, postpartum care drop-off remains a persistent challenge, and early disengagement from care is strongly associated with poorer maternal outcomes. SENT’s maternal health programming has shown that when care is relational and coordinated, women stay connected beyond birth. Trust remains. Support does not disappear once the baby arrives.

The same principle applies to workforce and ABAWD support. Research consistently shows that work requirements without navigation result in greater benefit loss than sustained employment. SENT pairs expectations with preparation, offering stipends, training pathways, and case management so participants are partnered with before expectations are placed on them.

In food access, national data shows that SNAP disruptions most often stem from administrative failure rather than lack of eligibility. SENT’s Food Is Medicine and pantry model intentionally pairs nutrition support with enrollment and renewal assistance to prevent families from falling through the cracks during life transitions.

Across housing, health, food, and work, the pattern is the same.

People do better when they are not alone.

Even Spartans understood that strength was built long before the trial.

If we want resilient families, stable neighborhoods, and healthier communities, we cannot keep demanding survival without structure. We cannot keep praising grit while withholding guidance.

The evidence is clear. The lived experience confirms it.

Even Spartans had the Agoge.

Our neighbors deserve no less.

Sources referenced

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