The People's Shelter renovates home as temporary housing solution

Beams of sunlight seeped in through large bay windows, illuminating the floorboards at 802 William St. in Cape Girardeau last week, as Jessica Livingston stretched out a set of floor plans.

Livingston — who has a background in interior design and is the home’s volunteer property manager — is working with the Rev. Renita Green of St. James AME and The People’s Shelter to transform the once-dilapidated, 1,915-square-foot property into A Peaceful Place Life Recovery House.

The blue Victorian-style home will serve as temporary housing for single men of any age facing hardship and who “need time to regroup,” Green said. It’s not a homeless shelter in the sense of being a perpetual sleeping place, she said, but “more of a triage.”

A person’s inability to find a stable housing solution could stem from issues such as substance use disorder, divorce or jail time, Green said. Life Recovery House will, as its name suggests, give its residents time to recover, she said.

“It may take them three or four weeks to get qualified for housing assistance, and then another couple of weeks to even find a place that will rent to them,” Green said. “There have been many times when people at the Community Partnership have pulled someone’s name for housing, and by the time they get pulled for housing, we have no idea where they are.”

The future location of A Peaceful Place Life Recovery House is seen March 11 at 802 William St. in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

The project is similar to The Peaceful Place — Saint Francis House at 827 Jefferson St. — another local project founded in partnership between The People’s Shelter and Saint Francis Healthcare Foundation, which targets men older than 60 who have been homeless for more than 10 years.

Life Recovery House would also take some pressure off of The People’s Shelter ministry, Livingston said, noting the home could be finished by the end of the summer.

“The main push for me, and I think probably for Renita, too, is to have it completed by the next cold season,” she said. “We want this to be ready before the cold hits.”

Seeking help

But in order to make that happen, Livingston needs the community’s help with the renovations.

“For us, the process is as important as the end product,” Livingston said of the construction project. “Especially in getting the community involved.”

Some of the home’s needs include a new roof, guttering, a privacy fence for the backyard and plumbing work.

“When you look at the project holistically, there’s a lot to do,” Livingston said. “We’re not looking for anybody to step up and do the entire thing.”

Safety glasses and tools rest atop a proposed floor plan for the first level of a home at 802 William St. on March 11 in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

What she is looking for are community members who can help take on specific projects in the home, or who may have contacts who specialize in certain parts of construction.

Southeast Missouri State University interior design students provided some help before in-person classes were suspended due to COVID-19 concerns. A group of students studying residential, kitchen and bath design gathered at the house last week to meet with Livingston and help prepare studs for some of the walls.

Life Recovery House is a trickier project than what the students might normally encounter, Livingston said, but one that will help deepen their educational experience.

“This house, in particular, is probably one of the hardest, but one of the best experiences for them,” she said, “because if you think about the number of people who will be in here, the types of people who will be in here, it’s a much more difficult demographic than say, like your typical family of four.”

Potential needs the students will have to anticipate when drawing up designs include a dining area flexible enough for daily use and special occasions, as well as how residents will share kitchen space.

The house will include a main-level master bedroom and bathroom for a “house manager,” as well as three upstairs bedrooms that could house up to nine residents.

The house manager would likely be an unpaid position, Green said, but noted it could be a situation in which room and board are provided in exchange for the live-in services.

“Ideally, it would be a person who has the means to be able to [live there] because what we don’t want to do is have to pay somebody to live there,” Green said. “So we want a person who ... [has] the skills and personality to be able to maintain the home with some compassion.”

Having faith

All the logistics of Life Recovery House haven’t been worked out, but Livingston and Green are confident the details will come together in time. Being “faithful in the process” is part of it, Green said.

“Faith does not call us or allow us even the luxury of having it figured out first,” Green said. “And you know, we live in a community that is not only generous and gracious, but they’re also caring and compassionate.”

Some folks, she said, are waiting to “make sure it’s going to happen,” Green said, because “having faith in God is different than having faith in people.”

Green acquired the home in the fall of 2019 as part of a lease-to-own agreement.

One of the big remaining questions is how rent, utilities and other important living costs will be handled.

“Ideally, this will be a place where people who are trying to regroup come,” Green said. “And if they’re trying to regroup, they may not have a source of income or they may need to save that income to be able to move on to their next [home].”

While community involvement is important in the building and construction phase, Green said the home will be most sustainable as community outreach.

That might look like fundraising, she said, or a program in which local businesses, churches or other organizations sponsor Life Recovery House. Any organization could sponsor $1,000 per year, she said, and “12 of those could cover house payments and utilities.”

“It will be something that our community can take pride and ownership in,” Green said. “ ... I’m very open to ideas and suggestions, and people who just want to be a part of it.”

Volunteers

Upcoming volunteer opportunities at A Peaceful Place Life Recovery House will be the weekends of April, typically Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Livingston said. Volunteers of all experience levels are welcome.

Asked on Monday whether COVID-19 would affect the volunteer dates, Livingston said they would continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly.

“If tighter social restrictions are imposed, we’ll likely follow suit,” she said. “The workdays we’ve had in the past, however, haven’t drawn large enough crowds to be of much concern at the moment. Everyone should use their best judgment, though.”

Those interested in volunteering may watch for updates on The People’s Shelter Facebook page. For building-related questions, message Livingston on Facebook.

To give monetary donations or for more information about ongoing The People’s Shelter projects, visit www.thepeoplesshelter.com.