When people can no longer make ends meet, who do they turn to? For many, the New Life Evangelical Center offers hope.
Although its headquarters are in St. Louis, the New Life Evangelical Center (NLEC) has additional centers throughout Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, and Kansas.
Reverend Larry Rice founded the NLEC in 1972. Almost 4 decades later, Rice still dedicates his energy to the community he serves. He is a religious man who lives his faith.
“When I first went into the ministry I made a decision that to minister means to serve,” explained Rice, adding that his services are open to everyone.
“Non-US citizens, new residents to the area, Spanish-speaking, no questions asked. Everyone is accepted to the center if they are in need of emergency shelter for the night,” said Rev. Rice.
True to his word, Rice continues to expand his organization to meet the needs of people well beyond his St. Louis office. What began in a 50 foot rented trailer now includes overseas missions in India, Nigeria, Mongolia, Haiti, and the Philippines.
In addition to providing food (290,000 meals and sandwiches) and shelter (130,000 “bed-nights”) to the homeless each year, the center also runs “free stores” which receive over 195,000 visits from poor and homeless persons in search of shoes, clothing, hygiene items and other basic needs.
The NLEC also offers training programs for homeless men and women who show a personal commitment to getting off the streets and bettering their circumstances.
Jerry Reed, a 44 year old veteran of Desert Storm, was at the free store looking for clothing for a job interview.
Finding the right job is difficult for Jerry, who suffers from back, knee and shoulder problems. He hopes to find a job where he can sit at a desk.
“The job training program is helping me to learn the skills so that I can accomplish my goals,” Jerry said.
Another service provided by NLEC is a weekly free clinic, granting hundreds of homeless and poor with dental work, blood pressure checks, diabetes testing, medical advice and sometimes referrals to other health services.
Angie Jenkens was at the center to get heart medicine for her mother.
“It’s great because a lot of people have nowhere to go. It’s a blessing. This place is wonderful,” she said
In 1982 Rev. Rice founded a local St. Louis program known as “Dollar Help,” encouraging residents to add a dollar to their gas bill to help those in need.
“We are completely funded independently,” said Rice. “With government funding there would be restrictions on who would be allowed into the shelter.”
The center also remains in close partnership with Agape House and Stepping into the Light – two St. Louis based addiction counseling transition housing facilities founded by former training program graduates.
During the five coldest months of the year, center volunteers take to the chilly streets to share food, blankets and companionship with homeless persons that do not come to shelters.
“When you are out in the cold, it gives you a place to stay,” said 70 year old Bobby Rush who has been using the services here for about 10 years.
Rush explains that his social security checks do not pay all of his bills, adding that the NLEC “helps you out a whole lot.”
Over the past year 330,000 counseling and referral calls have been taken; 20,500 blankets were given away; 19,500 received utility assistance; 2000 heaters and 11,000 pairs of gloves were given out; 1600 people received medical prescription co-payee assistance; 7500 fans were provided; 10,000 care kits of personal hygiene items were given to the homeless; 8000 bus passes were given; 1100 grants to stranded travelers were provided; and, 5000 shoe store certificates of $15 were provided.
In the mid-1990’s when St. Louis crime rates escalated and gangs controlled many neighborhoods, NLEC launched a violence prevention program with televised panel discussions and seminars on how to deal with violence in schools and near one’s home.
In 1995, NLEC and the Homeless Express Network led a call for justice for a mentally retarded man named Johnnie Lee Wilson. He was given a life sentence and had pled guilty under intense police interrogation to the murder of a family friend. Yet he was clearly innocent and had served over nine years in the Penitentiary.
Public outcry resulted in the Governor granting Wilson clemency and declaring him innocent. In the late 1980’s, NLEC fought to defend people displaced from their homes because of redevelopment in St. Louis.
According to Rice, the government will spend $150,000 to produce a new unit but will not spend $15,000 to improve an existing unit. As a result, poor people get squeezed out of a neighborhood as housing prices increase and they end up on the streets.
“Developers benefit by rebuilding old neighborhoods, forcing out the poor, and bringing in the moneyed. The poor tend to have very little political power, which is reflected in recent laws affecting the homeless and property development,” Rice said.
“NLEC programs are developed out of the needs of the people, not out of the boardrooms,” Rice stated. “The goal is to get people out of the cycle of homelessness. The NLEC serves as a bridge between homelessness and a new life.”
Although its headquarters are in St. Louis, the New Life Evangelical Center (NLEC) has additional centers throughout Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, and Kansas.
Reverend Larry Rice founded the NLEC in 1972. Almost 4 decades later, Rice still dedicates his energy to the community he serves. He is a religious man who lives his faith.
“When I first went into the ministry I made a decision that to minister means to serve,” explained Rice, adding that his services are open to everyone.
“Non-US citizens, new residents to the area, Spanish-speaking, no questions asked. Everyone is accepted to the center if they are in need of emergency shelter for the night,” said Rev. Rice.
True to his word, Rice continues to expand his organization to meet the needs of people well beyond his St. Louis office. What began in a 50 foot rented trailer now includes overseas missions in India, Nigeria, Mongolia, Haiti, and the Philippines.
In addition to providing food (290,000 meals and sandwiches) and shelter (130,000 “bed-nights”) to the homeless each year, the center also runs “free stores” which receive over 195,000 visits from poor and homeless persons in search of shoes, clothing, hygiene items and other basic needs.
The NLEC also offers training programs for homeless men and women who show a personal commitment to getting off the streets and bettering their circumstances.
Jerry Reed, a 44 year old veteran of Desert Storm, was at the free store looking for clothing for a job interview.
Finding the right job is difficult for Jerry, who suffers from back, knee and shoulder problems. He hopes to find a job where he can sit at a desk.
“The job training program is helping me to learn the skills so that I can accomplish my goals,” Jerry said.
Another service provided by NLEC is a weekly free clinic, granting hundreds of homeless and poor with dental work, blood pressure checks, diabetes testing, medical advice and sometimes referrals to other health services.
Angie Jenkens was at the center to get heart medicine for her mother.
“It’s great because a lot of people have nowhere to go. It’s a blessing. This place is wonderful,” she said
In 1982 Rev. Rice founded a local St. Louis program known as “Dollar Help,” encouraging residents to add a dollar to their gas bill to help those in need.
“We are completely funded independently,” said Rice. “With government funding there would be restrictions on who would be allowed into the shelter.”
The center also remains in close partnership with Agape House and Stepping into the Light – two St. Louis based addiction counseling transition housing facilities founded by former training program graduates.
During the five coldest months of the year, center volunteers take to the chilly streets to share food, blankets and companionship with homeless persons that do not come to shelters.
“When you are out in the cold, it gives you a place to stay,” said 70 year old Bobby Rush who has been using the services here for about 10 years.
Rush explains that his social security checks do not pay all of his bills, adding that the NLEC “helps you out a whole lot.”
Over the past year 330,000 counseling and referral calls have been taken; 20,500 blankets were given away; 19,500 received utility assistance; 2000 heaters and 11,000 pairs of gloves were given out; 1600 people received medical prescription co-payee assistance; 7500 fans were provided; 10,000 care kits of personal hygiene items were given to the homeless; 8000 bus passes were given; 1100 grants to stranded travelers were provided; and, 5000 shoe store certificates of $15 were provided.
Speaking Out for the Homeless
In the mid-1990’s when St. Louis crime rates escalated and gangs controlled many neighborhoods, NLEC launched a violence prevention program with televised panel discussions and seminars on how to deal with violence in schools and near one’s home.
In 1995, NLEC and the Homeless Express Network led a call for justice for a mentally retarded man named Johnnie Lee Wilson. He was given a life sentence and had pled guilty under intense police interrogation to the murder of a family friend. Yet he was clearly innocent and had served over nine years in the Penitentiary.
Public outcry resulted in the Governor granting Wilson clemency and declaring him innocent. In the late 1980’s, NLEC fought to defend people displaced from their homes because of redevelopment in St. Louis.
According to Rice, the government will spend $150,000 to produce a new unit but will not spend $15,000 to improve an existing unit. As a result, poor people get squeezed out of a neighborhood as housing prices increase and they end up on the streets.
“Developers benefit by rebuilding old neighborhoods, forcing out the poor, and bringing in the moneyed. The poor tend to have very little political power, which is reflected in recent laws affecting the homeless and property development,” Rice said.
“NLEC programs are developed out of the needs of the people, not out of the boardrooms,” Rice stated. “The goal is to get people out of the cycle of homelessness. The NLEC serves as a bridge between homelessness and a new life.”
