Community Missions 24 hour shelter goes beyond just providing a place to stay

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The official launch of "My Brothers House" Community Missions' 24-hour shelter service isn't meant to be only a place of rest for St. Joseph's homeless community.

"The main priority is their safety," Outreach Coordinator Charley Lundy said. "It will help having this to get people off the street."

The 24-hour service has been something that Community Missions has been aiming to get off the ground for a while. In past years, the shelter has been limited to providing food, water, a bed to sleep and counseling to the winter months.

"I've been out on the streets," St. Joseph resident Christa Nolannd said. "As a woman, it's a big relief to know that we have an all-around-the-clock shelter. It's a feeling of security to have a place to stay, where it's safe. Sometimes women are preyed on a little more than a man. And it means a lot to me to have a safe place." 

Now they can offer these services year-round to potentially help some people become self-sufficient.

"We're doing classes in groups and things like that," executive director Rachael Bittiker said. "We're helping them obtain IDs & birth certificates, the essential things that you need to be able to get employment for jobs. To be able to do things to function in society." 

The priority for the shelter going forward is to further increase the volunteers and sponsors, along with supporting efforts being made within the community.