A new grant will go toward one Arkansas nonprofit’s mission of better serving people experiencing homelessness in the state.
The $1.25 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund will go to the Arkansas River Valley Area Council, or ARVAC, based in Russellville.
ARVAC CEO Stephanie Garner says the award comes as they grapple with a lack of grant funding in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had historically received approximately $400,000 for shelter operations. That diminished to $65,000,” she said.
Garner says the grant will help them focus on wrap-around services to address barriers to stable housing. She says case managers will help with things like securing a driver’s license, finding new clothing and helping to pay rent with housing subsidies.
“Once they complete their treatment at Lake Point Recovery and Wellness, we will have case managers to also provide those wrap-around services,” she said. “50% of those who come into our facility don’t have a driver’s license, don’t have access to a birth certificate, so huge barriers.”
Garner says their approach focuses on drug and alcohol rehabilitation, as well as wrap-around services tailored to help Arkansans find stable housing on a case-by-case basis.
“We have a lot of homeless individuals who may be set up for housing… but they owe a past due light bill. That light bill could be $300, but they cannot move in if they can’t reconnect utilities,” she said. “They can’t move in if they don’t have a security deposit and the first month’s rent. So we’ll be helping to help them overcome those things."
The grant is part of over $600 million in awards to groups in 48 states by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The River Valley Area Council serves a nine-county area stretching from Morrilton to Mena in western Arkansas.
