HOMELESSNESS IN FORT SMITH

Imagine for a minute, if you can, the struggles, judgement, barriers and overall heartache of becoming homeless, finding yourself far away from home, no friends or anyone to reach out to. What do you do? Where do you go? How do you survive?

On any given night in Fort Smith, approximately 70 to 80 men, women, and families are without shelter. The truth is that most of these individuals have suffered some sort of trauma like illness, job loss, divorce, domestic violence, sexual assault, mental illness, ex-offenders, etc. They are neither lazy nor lack skills for employment. They need more than just shelter or a meal. 

Each night, they seek places to sleep be it on the streets, in tents, in cars, or in unsafe and uninhabitable locations.

While there are other shelters in the community, there are many people who do not seek help due to restrictions for entry such as pets, sobriety, or religion.

As a low-barrier shelter, HOPE Campus provides temporary housing, meals, showers, laundry services, and mental health services to River Valley adult residents who would otherwise be denied services at other shelters–giving everyone a place to stay.