St. Louis, MO  (KTRS)  More legal action is planned to keep New Life Evangelistic Center open.

The city of St. Louis has given the New Life Evangelistic Center an order to close its doors on April first, citing the lack of an occupancy permit. New Life filed an appeal back in February in St. Louis Circuit Court  in an attempt to keep its doors open. On Friday Rice’s attorneys plan to file an injunction for to block the city from shutting the shelter down until a decision is reached on the appeal in circuit court.

Reverend Larry Rice, the shelter’s director, says he’s prepared to take his case to the state level if necessary.

“We have a very strong case based on the fact that there’s religious freedom issues here. We’re also see a lot of other issues that are transpiring, for example the city’s requirement to get us to a signatures from people in the neighborhood is arbitrary, we believe illegal. They didn’t require that from the Biddle House. Why are they requiring that from us here? It’s because they want to clear the homeless our of the central corridor for the rich and the powerful. There are humans being made in the image and likeness of God.”

Meanwhile, efforts are being made to help the homeless in the event that the city of St. Louis succeeds with its order to close the New Life Evangelistic Center. On Wednesday the Affordable Housing Commission approved $214,000 to operate two temporary shelters.

Rice, who is also running as an independent candidate for St. Louis mayor, is urging voters to say no to the ballot initiative that calls for public funding for an MLS stadium in St. Louis.

Rice says the voters are being misled about Proposition 2. “It’s being presented erroneously and a lot the hand out literature doesn’t mention the soccer stadium.”

” They want to use the use tax, which is a tax set aside for the affordable housing fund.” said Rice. “They want to use that tax to build a soccer stadium and that’s wrong.” Rice adds.

Those who support bringing major league soccer to St. Louis say it will generate millions of dollars in revenue for the city.