PLANS FOR HOMELESS SHELTER IN WORKS

By Anita Reding/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

The former Barnes School on Princeton Pike will soon be a mission which will offer assistance to homeless men, said Ronnie Wardlaw.

He has been refurbishing the building for about four or five months, and hopes to open the mission in “a few more months.”

Once complete, the mission will be available for about 40 men, and will offer lodging and meals, plus other rehabilitation services they need.

Opposition to the remodeling and future use of the building has been brought before the Jefferson County Quorum Court and the circuit court recently.

The county’s justices of the peace adopted a resolution opposing the project earlier this month. That resolution was adopted after members of the Barnes community asked for their assistance. They said the old school would be used as a half-way house and they opposed the plans.

On Wednesday, a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge was asked to order a halt to the renovations.

Twenty-one residents of the community are listed on the complaint, as is the Barnes Temple Church of God and Christ located next to the old school, and C-Stop Inc., listed as a non-profit corporation “established primarily for the purpose of preserving and improving a quality and standard of life for the residents of the Barnes Community.” The school is being renovated and will be used as a half-way house for ex-convicts, according to the complaint.

The former school will become a mission, not a half-way house, according to Wardlaw.

He is aware of the opposition of several residents in the community, including members of the church next door, but said “The Lord is leading” him to operate the mission.

Members of the church next door have tried to talk him out of the project, and the pastor told him that he did not want it in the community.

“I always thought a church was supposed to help people,” Wardlaw said.

The building was purchased by Dr. David Jacks in May, and county real estate records show that Wings of Freedom purchased it Sept. 19. Wardlaw said he is a member of Wings of Freedom, which is incorporated as a mission, but would not name other members.

Wardlaw said he is not receiving state or federal funds, and is working on the building as funds become available. He is raising the money for the remodeling, and added that whatever he earns, he spends on the building.

Before allowed to stay at the mission, men will be screened by board members of Wings of Freedom. They will be required to follow strict rules while living there and will be required to find employment, he explained.

“If they cause trouble, they will have to find another location, he said.

Asked why he was planning to operate a mission at the facility, he said “Everybody deserves a home.”