“Ozark Center has for many years actively pursued supportive housing solutions in the Joplin community. Starting in 1991, Ozark Center has constructed numerous housing facilities designed to serve a variety of mental health and demographic needs, including two residential care facilities; three apartment complexes funded by the HUD 811 program that provide supportive housing to persons with mental illness; and two apartment projects for youth in transition from foster care and state custody to independent living.
Ozark Center staff have also obtained numerous rental assistance vouchers for homeless and disabled consumers in need of housing help from the Department of Mental Health and from Economic Security Corporation in Joplin. The agency has long been an active participant in the Joplin Jasper/Newton County Homeless Coalition and has served that group in various leadership roles. The Department of Mental Health has been proud to partner with Ozark Center both through technical assistance and through direct financial contribution in its efforts to address the housing needs of those most vulnerable in Joplin.”
