We don’t become neighbors by living close, we become neighbors by showing up.
Solomon Burchfield, New Beginnings Director
Meet some of the places and faces serving our most vulnerable neighbors below.
Grand Opening for New Beginnings
On September 20, the New Beginnings bridge housing community for people in need of shelter officially opened and welcomed their first 20 residents.
The New Beginnings Community will provide a safe, supportive living environment for tenants who have experienced long-term homelessness or faced complex barriers to regaining housing. In addition to shelter, programming will promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being while also providing housing-focused support to help each person move into a place of their own.
The core concept of the program is to create a self-managed community of low-cost micro-shelters for the benefit of the under-resourced, vulnerable, and exploited in Northwest Arkansas. New Beginnings is seeking to change lives and improve the conditions of unsheltered homeless living in Fayetteville.
If you’d like to get involved and support this vital and transformative work, visit below.
7 Hills Homeless Shelter Names New CEO
Mike Williams, the former director of development at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, officially became CEO of 7 Hills Homeless Shelter on September 27. As someone who grew up experiencing the challenges of poverty, homelessness and food insecurity first-hand, Williams has shared that this work is personal. He also brings of wealth of professional experience to the table. Prior to the food bank, Williams held leadership roles at Workmatters and United Way of Northwest Arkansas.
Founded in 2001, 7 Hills operates a day center, providing meals, clothing, food, hygiene items, and other basic needs resources to people experiencing homelessness. The organization offers various participant-focused support services and three different types of re-housing services, which include providing transitional housing and permanent supportive housing to individuals and families experiencing homelessness at Walker Family Residential Community. The center also oversees Safe Camp, a city-sanctioned homeless encampment.
Interested in joining their team? 7 Hills is currently seeking to hire a Development Director.
Interested in supporting this work? Join them on October 10, 2021 at 3pm for their annual Shelter Jam fundraiser featuring live, local music.
7 Hills Homeless Shelter Names New CEO
Mike Williams, the former director of development at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, officially became CEO of 7 Hills Homeless Shelter on September 27. As someone who grew up experiencing the challenges of poverty, homelessness and food insecurity first-hand, Williams has shared that this work is personal. He also brings of wealth of professional experience to the table. Prior to the food bank, Williams held leadership roles at Workmatters and United Way of Northwest Arkansas.
Founded in 2001, 7 Hills operates a day center, providing meals, clothing, food, hygiene items, and other basic needs resources to people experiencing homelessness. The organization offers various participant-focused support services and three different types of re-housing services, which include providing transitional housing and permanent supportive housing to individuals and families experiencing homelessness at Walker Family Residential Community. The center also oversees Safe Camp, a city-sanctioned homeless encampment.
Interested in joining their team? 7 Hills is currently seeking to hire a Development Director.
Interested in supporting this work? Join them on October 10, 2021 at 3pm for their annual Shelter Jam fundraiser featuring live, local music.
A New Circle of Leaders Building Community to End Poverty
Earlier this year, we learned that Northwest Arkansas would become home to a chapter of Circle USA, a nationally recognized mentorship program designed to help people pursue upward mobility out of poverty. This is the first initiative of Innovative Poverty Solutions, one of Northwest Arkansas’ newest nonprofit organizations.
Based on the national model, the Circles program builds intentional relationships across socioeconomic lines that help open up long-term pathways for economic mobility and self-sufficiency. Since the announcement, there has been a flurry of activity underway with the organization focused on building out and training its team of leaders and allies. You can meet many of the new faces by visiting the Circles NWA Facebook page.
In addition to building out the team, the organization was recently featured in the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, awarded a grant by 100 Women NWA and the executive director, Christina Williams, was selected to join the inaugural 2021 Micah Fellows Program.
This is just the beginning! If you are interested in getting learning more and/or getting involved, visit the links below.
