Connecting Grounds buys respite house with ARPA funds

The Connecting Grounds, a Springfield church that is active in assisting people who are homeless, has purchased a respite house with American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Christie Love, pastor of The Connecting Grounds, said the house at 1524 W. Farm Road 102 was bought with a portion of ARPA funds approved by Springfield City Council last year. The nonprofit was awarded $650,000 for a respite house, storage facilities, showers and outreach efforts, according to past reporting.

"This space will allow three guests to rest and recover from injury, illness, surgery or chronic health conditions while our team works to find a longer-term solution to provide shelter for them," Love wrote in a TCG newsletter, noting the purchase of the respite home closed at the end of last week.

An open house is planned for early March.

"We will spend the next six weeks preparing this new space to be ready to care for our neighbors in need," Love said in the newsletter.

A Greene County recorder filing shows The Connecting Grounds was issued the warranty deed to the property from Stagecoach 1524 LLC on Jan. 13. A note amount is not listed. The far north Springfield home spans roughly 2,000 square feet, according to Greene County assessor data.