Group renovating house to give less fortunate a hand up

A newly established local nonprofit organization is looking to provide shelter to people in need at an old rental house in Sedalia.

An association of local business leaders and pastors coordinated over the past year on the establishment of The Embassy, a nonprofit organization incorporated in February; it is led by a four-member board of directors with assistance from more than a dozen local advisers.

The organization recently purchased a house at 322 W. 7th St. to serve as a restoration center, where people who are homeless or otherwise in need of shelter can stay as they participate in a variety of programs aimed at equipping them with skills to help turn their lives around, said Chris Patton, Embassy board president.

“We’ll take anybody who’s in need and willing to make a change in their life. That’s what we’re here for,” Patton said.

Earlier this week, volunteers from Liberty Life Center scraped wallpaper, swept floors and scrubbed furniture throughout the three-story house, which had remained vacant for more than a year before The Embassy purchased it. Patton said it has great potential but still needs a lot of work.

The first floor contains a kitchen, common area and a host of furniture left in the home, some of which will be restored while the rest is disposed. On the second floor, six bedrooms are intended to each house two occupants, while the third floor layout — which includes its own kitchen and bathroom — is being designed for an entire family. Laundry facilities and space for another few sleeping rooms are planned in the center’s basement.

“It’s a good location, just a couple blocks from PROP (Pettis County Community Partnership’s Putting Roofs Over People), Open Door and a bus stop, so it’s really close to many essential things they may need,” Patton said.

Patton said The Embassy hopes the house will have a capacity of about 20 occupants when completed, which is targeted for sometime this fall.

Before it can open, The Embassy will need to raise about $53,500 for interior and exterior repairs, painting, furnishings, tuck pointing and replacing windows. The organization anticipates it will need about another $7,000 per month to operate once the center opens its doors.

Patton said the early support from volunteers and donors has been a boon for The Embassy as the group works to convert the old rental home but the organization plans to pursue additional funding through grants as they become available later this year and into 2011.
“Right now, private donations are what we’re running off of,” he said.

When the renovation work is completed, Patton said The Embassy will offer multiple tiers of programs that provide varying occupancy durations and come with different requirements, which is why the group refers to the facility as a restoration center rather than a homeless shelter.

“We will evaluate (applicants) depending on the immediate need that’s there as well as the level of commitment they are willing to make to the program,” he said. “There is going to be accountability and mentorship.”

On the first level, people will have the chance to take refuge for two or three nights at the house with only a few basic requirements. To stay up to three months, the obligations will remain limited but occupants will be required to participate in some of the group’s mentorship programs.

The two-phase “Citizenship” program will come with additional requirements. Tenants can stay at the center for up to six months in each phase, during which time they will have to commit to working with mentors on a variety of skills — including finding employment, writing resumes, interviewing for jobs and enhancing family and parenting skills — and taking discipleship classes, a form of Bible study.

After graduating from each of the original programs and moving out of the center, former occupants will be able to continue their involvement in The Embassy’s “Ambassadorship” program, which offer classes that build on the earlier lessons.

“Our mission is to take a holistic approach. We want to help them physically, mentally, socially and spiritually,” Patton said. “You don’t have to be a Christian to do these things but that is what we base ourselves on and we want them to understand that is part of the program.”

Ben Embree, a founding member of the organization who also serves as secretary of its board, said the group is seeking to provide a “hand up instead of a hand-out,” giving people in need the necessary tools to help put them on a path toward success and independence.
“We knew of the need, so through a gradual process it’s a way to be able to meet some of those needs,” Embree said.

The need for a transitional facility to help the homeless in the community is something Bob Vickers, housing director for the Community Partnership’s PROP division, said has become vital in recent years.

Since local organizations such as PROP have improved their ability to identify and quantify the level of homelessness in Sedalia in the past four or five years, several groups have sought to establish a shelter or center to provide refuge to the 75 to 90 people without a place to go each night but have encountered funding barriers, Vickers said.

“I think what made this different was The Embassy has some really good church support and has a number of business people involved,” Vickers said. “They are part of thriving businesses in the community but they still see the need and have reached out and acquired the building and put in the time and energy needed to get it up to par to meet the needs of the community.”

Vickers said he was very excited to see such a facility opening in Sedalia, and expected it could serve close to a third of the local homeless population. However, he noted the opening of The Embassy’s restoration center will not eliminate the need for a continued focus on addressing the problem of homelessness in the area, but it is a good start.

“The good news is they are going to house a lot of people. The bad news is there’s still going to be a huge need,” Vickers said. “I hope it’s only the first of others. I hope there are other transition centers around the corner.”

HOW TO HELP

The Embassy hosts work days at the center every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Those interested in volunteering can contact Ben Embree at 473-3420 to find out other times to help out.