Ribbon Cut as national crew of women builders raises Joplin's Vita Nova Village

JOPLIN, Mo. — Community leaders snipped the ribbon Tuesday along South Byers Avenue as hammers rang out and wooden framing went up for the newest home at Vita Nova Village.

The build marks a critical turning point for the local initiative aimed at taking unhoused Joplin residents off the street and into permanent independence.

Putting muscle behind the framing is Sister Corps, a national traveling organization of women builders. The partnership took root after a Joplin resident who works with the group made a direct pitch to bring the national crew to her hometown.

Now, they are on site, turning blueprints into four walls.

For Vita Nova Village founder Rhonda Thompson, seeing the vertical progress after months of red tape and site prep hit hard.

"I think it's highly pivotal," Thompson said against the backdrop of construction. "It shows progress and gives us hope for the future. Gives us hope that we're going to get this completed and be able to house people that are living on the streets today."

Crews are working against a fast-moving clock, targeting full completion by the end of October.

Thompson said the finish line will mean everything to the neighbor handed the front door key.

"Their life is about to change," she said. "It's going to get better from that point on."

The village operates beyond simple shelter. The model ties housing directly to job placement and education, backed by a strict mentorship requirement. Each resident meets with an assigned mentor weekly to establish goals and work through hard choices.

"Someone that'll give them that hard advice that they need to hear, and keep them on track," Thompson said. "Accountability—I think that's a huge element."

Volunteers looking to join the build site before late-October completion can call Rhonda Thompson at 417-622-2850 or email [email protected].