In the fall of 2010, ten individuals from a local church combined efforts to form The Gathering Tree in Springfield, MO, an organization focused on serving the city’s homeless population. The Gathering Tree opened its doors multiple nights a week to give the homeless a place to rest and refresh from the afternoon to evening hours.
Throughout its time of operation, it allowed the founders to gain helpful insight as to the best way to serve the homeless community. As a result of this experience, they came to the realization that while there were many organizations focused on serving those living on the streets, there were few focused on getting them off the streets.
On November 1, 2018, the Gathering Tree closed its doors and began to concentrate all efforts and resources on the concept to create a long-term solution to homelessness: Eden Village.