Many of you are aware that we at The Connecting Grounds are working to create a new program called Roots of Community which will consist of two campuses of transitional supportive shelter. One campus will be a family campus that in phase one could house 27 families and offer services such as a daycare center, tutoring program, job training, shuttle service, sobriety support, individual and family therapy, and music and therapy programs for children and youth. The second campus will be an adult campus that would have 20 dedicated respite beds as well as 48 beds in apartment-like units upstairs on two additional floors. The adult campus would also offer support services including; medical care, case management, job training, legal support, sobriety support, mental health care, educational support, and positive community involvement. To learn more about this project you can visit our detailed plans that are laid out on our website at: https://www.theconnectinggrounds.com/roots-of-community
We estimate that Phase One of this project will cost $12 million, which includes the land and infrastructure for both sites, one residential building at each campus, and a community center building at each campus. This will allow us to provide transitional, supportive housing to an estimated 103 adults and between 50-70 children depending on family sizes. We at The Connecting Grounds are working to raise one-third of the estimated Phase One costs and are hopeful that both the city and the county will see the advantages of investing ARPA funding to make this resource a reality for our community.
This is where I am reaching out to you for help. In the month of June, we will be hosting a make Roots a Reality campaign with local churches and communities of faith. We are simply asking that each organization that is willing to participate share about Roots with your members/attendees and then take up a special love offering in June to donate to the start-up costs of this community-sized project. We will provide you with:
PowerPoint slides
Bulletin insert files to be printed
Flyers that can be printed
A short 2 minute video that can be shown in your service and/or shared online via social media.
An optional zoom meeting with members of our team to meet with individuals from your church to talk about Roots and answer questions about the project.
The goal of Roots is to help people identify a personal path to success and support them as they take the steps to not only seek shelter but to be able to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty that has become a way of life for too many of our neighbors in need. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Roots will be customized to each individual to help them overcome barriers, save money, gain employment, maintain sobriety, and ultimately graduate to the long-term housing solution that best meets their needs.
Roots of Community has received a great deal of community support including letters of support from Mercy Hospital, MSU Cares, Children’s Division, Harmony House, Foster Adopt Connect, GLO Center, Springfield NAACP, Springfield Street Choir, Missouri Faith Voices, and numerous communities of faith.
We would love to add your faith community to the list of others that are a part of making Roots of Community a Reality for Springfield! If you would be interested in setting up a time to tour our Outreach Center or a phone call to learn more about our outreaches and this program, we would love the chance to speak with you.
You can sign up for this challenge on our website at: https://www.theconnectinggrounds.com/faith-community-giving-challenge
We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully to working together to love out loud on our neighbors in need through this project!
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to talk about your faith community’s possible participation in this campaign. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this exciting endeavor.
Pastor Christie Love
The Connecting Grounds
https://www.theconnectinggrounds.com