Panhandlers illegally set up at 7th and Range Line - KOAM TV 7

A group of illegal panhandlers set up camp at 7th and Range Line, one of the busiest intersections in Joplin.

A group of women with "Restoration Ministries" out of Houston, Texas handed out flyers and collected cash at the intersection.  The group says its ministry focuses on helping people with family, drug and alcohol problems.

Officers with the Joplin Police Department tell us the group did not have a permit and say it is illegal for groups of any kind to panhandle on the median of busy intersections.

One of the women told us they were initially told by police if they did not harass residents or stop traffic they could solicit on the streets.

"We are here to plant the seeds and let the community know our services are available whenever they want to come in and get their life back on track call us up and we will get them to the nearest location as soon as possible," says Latonya Small, of the Restoration Houston Ministries.

JPD tells us they later asked the group to leave the intersection because they did not have a permit.

Small says the nearest Restoration Ministry is in Saint Louis.  She says they have not determined if they will build restoration homes in Joplin.