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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: July 8, 2020

MEDIA CONTACT:
John Farmer de la Torre
Director of Communications
mobile: 417.425.2587

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri to launch new social enterprise in Joplin, named Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing

JOPLIN – Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri (CCSOMO), headquartered in Springfield, is launching a new social enterprise in Joplin, a nonprofit general contractor and plumbing business named Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing, which will serve Jasper, Newton, McDonald, and Barry counties. A ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the launch and a showcase presentation of Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing’s first insulated concrete forms (ICF) project will occur:

RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
1601 Furnace Street
Joplin, MO 64801

Social enterprises represent an innovative model for nonprofits seeking to use commercial strategies to create social impact. Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing was established to provide a high-value service to the community and an in-house curriculum for pre-apprenticeship home repair and plumbing that includes case management, soft-skills training, ‘boots and belts’ starter tool kits, and on-the-job training for individuals who typically face high barriers to employment. Through Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing’s pre-apprentice program, individuals can obtain living wage jobs within the construction or plumbing industry. This is the ‘purpose’ of Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing.

“We want to be known as more than a company that can help with routine home repairs. We want our business to make a social impact as well by moving people out of poverty,” says CCSOMO Senior Vice President of Operations John Lunardini.

Purpose Home Repair & Plumbing will be showcasing its first completed construction project, an affordable home using ICF technology to increase durability during natural disasters and to increase energy efficiency. The house is an innovative approach in affordable housing construction, a growing need in the Joplin area.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is a faith-based 501(c)(3) agency whose mission is to provide quality, compassionate social services that meet local needs. CCSOMO provides a wide variety of programs throughout the 39 southernmost counties of Missouri. CCSOMO has been providing services to adults, children, and families, of all faiths since 2009. To learn more, visit ccsomo.org

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