Samaritan expansion takes shape

The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen UP FROM VALLEY: The first phase of renovations to a former warehouse as part of an expansion project for Samaritan Ministries is scheduled to be completed next month. The east end of the facility at the corner of Sanford and Valley streets will house six retail shops after the second phase of construction is completed.
The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen UP FROM VALLEY: The first phase of renovations to a former warehouse as part of an expansion project for Samaritan Ministries is scheduled to be completed next month. The east end of the facility at the corner of Sanford and Valley streets will house six retail shops after the second phase of construction is completed.

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The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen COMING ALONG: New roofing, decking, insulation and utilities are included in the first phase of renovations to a former warehouse for an expansion to Samaritan Ministries on Sanford Street. Work on the interior will facilitate the renovations in the second phase, which will result in six retail shops, a market place resale shop, new offices, a chapel area and seven transitional housing apartments for graduates of the residential program.

The first phase of an expansion to the Samaritan Ministries facility on Sanford Street, part of its ongoing effort to help homeless men in Hot Springs, is scheduled to be completed next month.

Charles Laggan, president of Samaritan's board of trustees, said he originally hoped the expansion would cost about $800,000. The amount of steel work required on the neighboring warehouse increased the cost of the first phase to $575,000. The second phase is estimated to cost $400,000 if work is completed with the help of volunteers or up to $950,000 if a contractor has to be hired.

The warehouse was purchased three years ago, but renovations did not begin until May. Laggan said the shelter has never operated with debt and its plans are to continue to pay for projects up front.

The steel work accounted for much of the cost of the first phase. Residents at the shelter and volunteers have contributed where they can, such as painting.

The exterior of the east end of the 20,000-square-foot facility on Valley Street will be completed in the first phase, along with parking and landscaping. New roofing, decking, insulation and utilities were included in the first phase.

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The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen RAY OF HOPE: Charles Laggan, president of Samaritan Ministries' board of trustees, discusses its expansion project during a tour of the facilities on Thursday.

"They are going to be paving the parking lot next week," Laggan said. "We just poured the apron this week. We will have 27 parking spaces over here. This is coming together."

Relocating and fully equipping the wood shop is included in the first phase. The space was used as a wood shop before work began, but machinery was strewed throughout the warehouse.

"We only had power from one box up on the north end of the building," Charles Laggan said. "We had extension cords getting back to that. It was pretty challenging."

Much of the work in the first phase will facilitate the renovations planned for the second phase. More than $678,000 for both projects was raised by the end of August.

The shelter will host its annual dinner Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. at 300 Valley St. Guests will be able to hear from men who turned their lives around from homelessness with help from the shelter.

The cost is $50 per person and tables of eight can be arranged. A special dinner of home-cooked and baked recipes will be served.

Seating is limited to 200 and more than 80 percent of the tickets have been sold. Anyone interested in attending can call Laggan at 501-547-7383 or email [email protected]. Guests can also call Jan Laggan, executive director, at 501-321-2888 or [email protected].

The couple founded Samaritan Ministries in 2003 as the only shelter for homeless men in the Hot Springs area. They acquired the main office at 131 Sanford St. and renovated it with the help of volunteers to open in 2007.

"We have been very, very fortunate," Jan Laggan said. "The people who come in are very respectful."

The shelter has served more than 1,900 men since it opened. An overnight program has 28 beds available for homeless men to stay for up to 10 nights per month.

Meals, clothing, showers, educational training, daily Bible study, nightly chapel service, woodworking skill training and coordination of medical needs are provided. Many of the men receive assistance in obtaining lost identification, birth certificates, Social Security benefits and other items.

Another 14 beds are available through the residential program for men who are chronically homeless. Men can stay at the shelter for 10-12 months and receive assistance from the shelter. They are required to attend church every Sunday. Jan Laggan said the men enjoy attending service.

The shelter operates on an annual budget of about $250,000 with no government funding. Two-thirds of its budget is provided by individual donors. Another 20 percent is provided by churches. The rest comes from local businesses and other donors.

Seven full-time employees work at Samaritan Ministries. About 150 volunteers serve in some capacity throughout the year.

The east end of the facility at the corner of Sanford Street and Valley Street will house six retail shops, including one store for the shelter to resale items made by residents, to generate income for the shelter. The space will not be available for use until the end of the second phase of construction.

The second phase will connect the expansion to the current main structure with additional offices. The project will include a market place resale shop and a larger chapel area, which will also be used as a large meeting room.

A key component of the expansion is the addition of seven transitional housing apartments for graduates of the residential program. One style of the units will be 350 square feet and the other will be 500 square feet.

The project is seen as a rehabilitation project for the surrounding area, as well. The six retail shops will be located a short distance away from the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail.

Local on 10/21/2016

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