http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/need-tent-community-exists-according-reverend-larry-rice_40720.mp3
Rice, director of the New Life Evangelistic Center, hopes to set up a tent city somewhere in Springfield to serve the city’s homeless.
He talked to reporters at the New Life Evangelistic Center on North Jefferson Tuesday. Rice was arrested in May while trying to set up a tent city near the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. He’s since sued the city, claiming it failed to follow the proper procedures before issuing an emergency condemnation order.
He hopes something similar won’t happen here. Rice says he would love to see someone step up who has an acre of land…
"That they can make available to us that we can lease. We're asking the homeless as they go through the community to note signs of property that's for sale to contact us, that we can work something out with different brokers or with an owner such as we're still working with in St. Louis. We had one plot actually given to us in St. Louis County. We're in the process of developing that one at the present time, so trying to find a ground and setting up a tent community's essential."
According to Rice, a legal tent community would be different from those that are set up illegally. He says it would have five basic rules: no alcohol or drugs in a one-block area, no stealing, no obnoxious behavior, no panhandling in the immediate area, and everyone would donate ten hours a week to keep the camp in line. And he says he’s like to see some kind of leadership set up…
"And we'd like to work together with the city on this because the need is there. It's quite critical that the City of Springfield has such a place because we see everyday, everyday many many people come through the place here."
After talking with reporters, Rice loaded up a group of homeless men and women in his van and took them to the Battlefield Mall, not only to find a cool place, but also to apply for jobs. He says, not only does he want to provide them with a place to live, he’d like to see them break the cycle of homelessness.
He says donations of bus passes or money for bus passes are needed to help people get to and from jobs.