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Published May 15, 2008 10:25 pm - The pastor of City of Refuge on Thursday announced the kickoff of a 45-day effort to raise $600,000 to purchase a Joplin church building and convert into a shelter for the homeless. Ministry kicks off drive for homeless shelter With corrected information 05/16/08 10:32 a.m. By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com The pastor of City of Refuge on Thursday announced the kickoff of a 45-day effort to raise $600,000 to purchase a Joplin church building and convert into a shelter for the homeless. In response to a Globe question after the news conference, Dan Anderson said his ministry would be starting from scratch in the effort. He said he hopes to raise the money within 45 days, targeting July 1 as the date for closing on the purchase of the First Baptist Church building at 633 S. Pearl Ave. “We don’t have anything at this point,” Anderson said after earlier telling reporters that he has more ideas for the church building than just a shelter and soup kitchen. He said he hopes to establish a one-stop location for rehabilitating homeless people. City of Refuge had been looking for a new home for the ministry and shelter since the City Council voted 5-3 in March to deny a change in zoning that would have allowed it to try to convert its leased quarters in an old warehouse at 502 E. Seventh St. into a shelter. The building was cited in January for numerous fire, health and zoning violations, and Anderson’s effort to obtain a variance to the zoning regulations met with opposition from nearby businesses. Shortly after it was disclosed that the ministry was hoping to acquire the building at Seventh Street and Pearl Avenue, residential and some downtown-business opposition to the proposal surfaced. Members of the First Baptist Church on May 7 voted 132-18 to sell their building to Anderson for $600,000. The church is planning a new building in south Joplin. “This is going to be our kickoff,” Anderson said Thursday. “We couldn’t really do anything until the church had their vote, and that’s what we’ve been waiting for.” The ministry on May 5 had secured an extension until Aug. 1 on the deadline to halt using the old warehouse on East Seventh Street as a shelter in violation of the zoning code. Jon Tupper, former Joplin mayor and current councilman, was one of the participants in a panel discussion at the City of Refuge’s news conference Thursday. Tupper is one of the council members who voted 5-4 on May 5 to extend the shelter deadline. “The money was not a concern,” Tupper said. “One concern I do have is I don’t want the same situation to happen that happened with the warehouse. We want to make sure the new building is up to code.” Councilwoman Melodee Colbert-Kean said she, too, was under the impression that City of Refuge had the money and was only waiting on approval from the church congregation to complete the sale. 
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