Article Courtesy of Little Rock Soiree
August 1, 2022
by Heather Honaker
Read the full article in Soiree here!
Our House meets the needs of entire families and has built an effective pathway out of homelessness for hundreds each year, but in order to best serve the community, the organization has developed a $16 million plan maximizing the scope and scale of services it provides on its 7-acre campus by fall of 2023.
In 17 years, housing capacity at Our House has not changed, though homelessness in central Arkansas continues to grow. Children’s programs like Our Club – where K-12th graders are provided a safe, consistent and comfortable place to learn – and Little Learners have waiting lists of up to 200-plus.
The Career Center served more than 1,600 unique people in 2021. Anyone can use this free program helping find full-time employment through education, training, referrals and case management.
“You don’t have to be a resident to use that,” Walton Frazier says. “It’s got a great program for felons [for whom] it’s very hard to get a job. … If you have a court hearing or warrant or something like that, we can navigate the court system for you.”
Through partnerships with ACH and ARCare, the organization provides free, on-site care for children and adults, and with appropriate space, these services could grow and expand along with mental health services.
“In 2021, the mental health team served over 400 clients, including 198 children,” Goodwin says. “With this expansion, we will be able to increase our daily clients served by at least 50%.”
Our House’s leadership has decades of combined experience, with a 24-member board (always including one former resident) and is 100% committed to this project.
To date, the organization has raised $12.8 million from individuals, corporations and foundations.
“We also were able to secure and close on a New Markets Tax Credit deal, with help from Arkansas Capital Corporation and First Horizon, that helped us net approximately $2 million toward the project,” Goodwin says. Our House is “a one-of-a-kind expression of the best this community has to offer, and a great example of what is possible when people from all different walks of life come together.”
“I saw so many families coming in that were struggling at the beginning. Mom looked rough; kids looked rough. You fast-forward six, eight months later, and you see these families where mom looks great. She’s got a job. She’s got pride. She’s happy and the kids look better. They’re learning. They have therapy,” Walton Frazier says.
“And I get to witness all of that.”
