Arc of the Ozarks to break ground in Joplin

Springfield-based The Arc of the Ozarks is breaking ground next week to rebuild a residential facility destroyed in the 2011 tornado in Joplin. A groundbreaking ceremony for the $260,000 duplex for individuals with disabilities supported by the nonprofit is scheduled Nov. 27.

Arc of the Ozarks Chief Advancement Officer Julie Guillebeau said the developmentally disabled service agency also lost its East 20th Street Joplin office in the tornado. Within a couple of weeks, the nonprofit rented new office space at 1515 W. 10th St., Ste. D, and temporarily moved its displaced residents into an apartment. No residents or office staff members were injured during the tornado, according to an Arc newsletter.

“We care for people 24/7. We had to get going again and get their records, medications and plans in place,” Guillebeau said.

Construction of the 2,680-square-foot, four-bedroom duplex is expected to begin in mid-December and conclude within six months. Guillebeau said the project general contractor is Springfield-based Housing Plus LLC, which also is developing Hope Cottages, a 32-unit, single-family home development in Joplin, and Highland Ridge, a 50-duplex senior housing community in Nixa. Housing Plus is owned by Debbie Shantz Hart, who served as general counsel for Springfield-based John Q. Hammons Hotels 1995–2008.

Grants are funding roughly half of the 3128 S. Oliver project in Joplin – $100,000 from Community Foundation of the Ozarks-Southwest Region and $25,000 from the city of Joplin’s Tornado First Response Fund – while private donations are covering the remainder, according to an Arc of the Ozarks news release. “This is specially designed for those with disabilities,” Guillebeau added, noting the housing is designed with recessed lighting and high-stressed sheet rock to help protect the Arc’s dual diagnosis clients whose physical and psychiatric disabilities sometimes display as anger. “It’s an environment that is safe for them.”

Arc of the Ozarks has operated in Joplin since 2008, and its staff of 77 has served 27 residents in the community. Across its 21-county footprint, the 49-year-old nonprofit serves 700 individuals, according to TheArcoftheOzarks.org.