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Published August 01, 2008 10:56 pm - Four or five days of sleeping outside is all Kahn McLeod said he expects to be able to handle, now that the shelter operation of City of Refuge is closing down. Homeless to sleep outside of former warehouse By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com Four or five days of sleeping outside is all Kahn McLeod said he expects to be able to handle, now that the shelter operation of City of Refuge is closing down. McLeod is one of about 30 homeless people who have been staying at the converted cold-storage warehouse at 502 E. Seventh St. Dan Anderson, the pastor at City of Refuge, suggested he will try to make a statement in hopes of bringing public pressure to bear upon the City Council to change the rules prohibiting the use of the building for sleeping quarters, or prompting a church or organization to offer his operation at least temporary quarters. Anderson said he plans to sleep outside for the time being, and that he plans to ask the City Council to reconsider a request to rezone the property to accommodate an overnight-shelter operation. The Globe was unable to ascertain Friday night whether any attempt had been made to find other temporary accommodations for the 30 people staying at the shelter. “At this point in time, we don’t have anyplace else to go,” Anderson said Friday, the city-imposed deadline for the shelter services. “Outside of a church or somebody offering a facility for us temporarily, we’ll be right out front there.” City officials and Anderson both say that the building will remain open, and services such as a food pantry, kitchen, bathroom and church will continue to be offered. What is prohibited by city ordinances is the use of the building for sleeping quarters. “Our desire is a reconsideration of the rezoning of this facility,” Anderson said. “We’ve already had work done to it. And we’ve got people who are ready to do more work on it.” During an interview at City of Refuge on Friday, he indicated that he had made inquiries into other permanent locations for his overall operation, but none fit the needs or the budget of his organization. The City Council voted 5-3 in March to deny a change in zoning that would have allowed City of Refuge to try to convert its leased quarters in the old warehouse into a shelter. The building was cited in January for numerous fire, health and zoning violations. Anderson’s effort to obtain a variance to the zoning regulations met with opposition from nearby businesses. But the council granted Anderson an extension to continue offering shelter services in the old warehouse until Aug. 1. “They are not to shelter people anymore,” said City Attorney Brian Head. “They can still have the kitchen and church and such.” Head said city officials are concerned that the building-code violations pose a risk to the safety of those staying there. 
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