Serve NWA is seeking to improve conditions of unsheltered homeless people living in Fayetteville. The conditions that the majority of homeless persons living outside experience are unsanitary, unsafe, unsupported, and uncontrolled – creating both public health and safety hazards. Serve NWA believes we have a solution that could immediately improve their living conditions and enrich many lives in the process.
Transitional micro-shelter communities, now sprouting up across the United States like SquareOne Villages in Eugene, Oregon, have been shown to have a lasting effect on addressing the complex emergency shelter needs of the homeless population. By providing shelter to our most vulnerable neighbors, we would be able to help them enter a pathway toward receiving comprehensive case management while addressing the root causes of their homeless circumstance.
This is a “Housing First” approach to quickly and successfully connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to entry, such as sobriety, treatment or service participation requirements. Once individuals are in safe, secure, and clean environments, we will work with community partners to provide the appropriate services to work toward permanent housing solutions.
Serve NWA is requesting $35,000 to build 14 transitional micro-shelters (estimated cost is $2,500 each with construction drawings attached).
The current Northwest Arkansas Homeless Point in Time Census counted 141 unsheltered people in our community (source: NWA COC PIT Census attached). Currently, there is not enough transitional shelter capacity in area homeless service providers to meet the growing homeless population.
In October 2018, Serve NWA purchased five (5) acres of land in Fayetteville, Arkansas and has acquired the proper city permits to begin construction. Currently, this initiative has submitted all construction paperwork to the City of Fayetteville Planning Commission and anticipates beginning construction in April 2019.
This initiative will begin with twenty (20) transitional micro-shelters that will accommodate twenty (20) people with safe, secure, and supportive services. Serve NWA will be working closely with other regional homeless service providers to ensure case management services, job training, and permanent supportive housing programs are working to support the New Beginnings Community.
While each resident of New Beginnings will receive individual care, we anticipate the typical residency at New Beginnings will last between six months and year before moving to permanent supportive housing (summary document attached). Upon successful graduation from the program, new residents will be admitted. As the success of New Beginnings is evaluated, additional transitional micro-shelter capacity will be added on the five acres of land in Fayetteville.
To date, approximately $350,000 of the needed $600,000 for construction and first year operating expenses has been raised. The two largest hurdles for initiative success (the land purchase and City of Fayetteville permits) have been overcome. Once construction is complete, the anticipated annual operational budget is approximately $250,000 per year.
Sustainability of this initiative will be driven by a combination of funding from City of Fayetteville, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Housing vouchers that each resident will qualify for, Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care Rapid Housing Funding, rental costs from residents once employed, regional private foundations, and continuing public contributions.
Total Funding Requested: $35,000
Funding Date Requirement: 05/01/2019
Summary and/or Supporting Documents: New-Beginnings-Community-Summary-Supporting-Documents.pdf
Initiative Video or Related Links:
Nonprofit Name: Serve Northwest Arkansas, Inc.
Nonprofit Website: http://ServeNWA.org
5
Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States
Share Via Email