The groundbreaking on Sept. 4 marked the start of the first phase of the project, which will consist of 24 homes and is expected to be finished in April 2027. The remaining 33 homes will be built over two more phases.
According to Watered Gardens Ministries CEO James Whitford, the organization is currently working with people who would be good candidates for Freedom Village.
“We know (they are) probably not going to be able to hold full-time employment, which means that they're going to be stuck in homelessness, either in a shelter or on the streets, waiting for some sort of a government housing solution,” he said. “And we just believe there’s really got to be a third option.”
Whitford told attendees at the groundbreaking about a woman he met with recently who is disabled and hasn’t been able to find housing for six months. He said many other people are in similar situations.
“(Freedom Village) would be a help for her,” he said. “But not just her, because there are scores, if not more than 100 people, today who are trapped in homelessness on a fixed income, trying to find a solution for affordable housing, and they can't find it.”
Talon Maningas, president of Watered Gardens’ board of directors, also spoke at the groundbreaking. According to him, Freedom Village has been in the works for several years, after Whitford first brought the idea to the board.
“The initial thing that we think of is, how are we going to execute?” he said. “Where do we find land? How much is this going to cost? And it was just an absolute joy to sit back and watch God's provision and the support of the community kind of come together to see the reality, and to see it tangibly today is an awesome, awesome experience.”
Crossland Construction is the general contractor for the project. Whitford thanked several other companies and organizations for in-kind donations, including Glenn Gibson Commercial Real Estate, Schuber Mitchell Homes, Allgeier, Martin and Associates, PLJBD Architects and the City of Joplin.
Whitford said that more in-kind donations will come from some of the subcontractors working on the project, and that they’ve also received support from the community.
“A lot of folks who already support Watered Gardens Ministries in one way or another have really stretched and stepped up to donate what's needed for us to complete this project,” he said.
Once the homes are occupied, Watered Gardens will have a director for Freedom Village, someone to maintain the property and care coordinators who will meet with the residents to discuss their needs. There will also be a community center where the organization will work with a local church to develop relationships with the residents.
“That'll be our number one thing,” Whitford said. “How can we help people who've been isolated, and often have pasts of trauma and neglect, build real relationships that are going to help lead to a flourishing life while they're here?”
Whitford expects the first residents of Freedom Village to move in between April and June of next year.
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