CONWAY, Ark. — The city of Conway will soon have a new emergency shelter for families and children who have no other place to go. The Conway Ministry Center has been working to give homeless families with children a temporary home to help them get back on their feet.
"Child homelessness is a really unseen issue," said Spring Hunter, Conway Ministry Center Executive Director."We recently purchased this motel in order to convert it into our area's first emergency shelter for families with children."
She explained that the emergency shelter is meant to be a last-minute place to house a family with nowhere else to go.
"Our Homeless Coalition serves five counties. And currently in those five counties, if you become homeless tonight with your kids because of eviction or a house fire, or any of the other reasons that somebody might find themselves homeless, there's nowhere to go check in and stay tonight," she added.
Now, the new location known as "The Refuge" will shelter and serve that purpose for our most vulnerable population.
"We have really great partnerships locally where if we were able to house someone for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days we would be able to get them on the waiting list for transitional programs and really dive into case management services. Allow them to stabilize, but they really need that emergency stay," she said.
Hunter said according to a May 2023 homeless count, nearly a thousand children in Faulkner County schools were considered homeless.
"These are folks that might stay in a hotel, they're sleeping in cars, often they might be bouncing from house to house, staying where they can. And so you just don't see it as much. But it is a huge issue in Arkansas," she added.
Hunter explained that having this 22-unit shelter will serve as their safe place to regroup and have access to resources with hopes of getting out of homelessness.
It also will help those in need of medical services.
"We can get them connected with those services and start the process of hopefully rehousing them and getting them set up with home health and whatever else they need," she described.
Renovations to the motel are the next step for the organization, and Hunter hopes to open the shelter within the year.
To keep up with the shelter's status or make a donation, please click here.