Grant sought for homeless shelter in Butler County

Butler County will help local organizations seek a $750,000 grant to establish a homeless shelter for families, children and others who are not served by existing programs.

The funds are available through a state Community Block Development Grant program for disaster recovery, said Crystal Jones, assistant director of Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission.

Jones presented the request last week to commissioners, along with Ann Smith, executive director of South Central Missouri Community Action Agency.

SCMCAA will take the lead on the partnership, but is requiring Butler County to sponsor the grant and act as the pass-through agency, according to the discussion.

"We need a homeless shelter that doesn't have restrictions, for intact family units, women with children and just those in need," said Smith, after commissioners approved the request.

SCMCAA has met with groups interested in the effort, including the domestic violence shelter Haven House; United Gospel Rescue Mission, which runs a men's recovery program; St. Vincent de Paul food pantry; and the Bread Shed.

The goal is to ensure no services are duplicated, said Robert Smith of St. Vincent de Paul.

This is a longtime need of the area, which has been difficult to resolve without an initial source of funding, he said.

Grant applications are due by the end of October. The state has said awards may be made by the end of the year.

The shelter could work in conjunction with many of the efforts SCMCAA already has to help families, said Smith, including case management, employment and training programs, and family support efforts.

"This is going to serve a population that currently has no opportunities," she said. "There's a population of folks that either pass through or end up in Poplar Bluff that don't have any opportunity for housing supportive services."

The grant is part of $58 million in state money set aside to help address needs following flooding in 2017.

Butler County, as a population center, often sees large numbers of displaced families seeking housing after such events, Jones said. With limited housing resources in the heavily impacted Ripley and Carter counties, Butler County became an area where families sought new homes or other assistance, she said.