Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

Emergency Shelter

Emergency Shelter

The Emergency Shelter program focuses on meeting the basic needs of the children so they can feel safe and begin to heal from the trauma they have experienced. Meeting these basic needs is one of the first ways that our staff can begin to build trust with the children in our care – many of whom have never been able to trust the adults in their lives. These basic needs include:

  • A warm bed
  • Consistent, balanced meals
  • Healthy snacks
  • Clean, well-fitting clothing
  • Access to baths/showers and personal hygiene items

And most importantly

  • Loving care provided 24-hours per day

Lola

This young lady has been with us for more than two months. When she first arrived, she could only count to 8 and didn’t recognize numbers above 5 by sight. She also only knew about 6 letters and no sounds. She attends school on-site here at the Shelter and is in Ms. Anaiya’s elementary class. […]

Read more about LolaImpact stories

Meet Lola

This young lady has been with us for more than two months. When she first arrived, she could only count to 8 and didn’t recognize numbers above 5 by sight. She also only knew about 6 letters and no sounds. She attends school on-site here at the Shelter and is in Ms. Anaiya’s elementary class. By the end of the first quarter of the school year, she can now count to 30 and identifies numbers up to 20 when shown out of sequence. She also knows 24 letters and matching sounds! This sweet girl is overcoming memory issues and a language delay. Her hard work, along with the patience and caring of Ms. Anaiya, have allowed her to make huge progress. We are so proud of her!

The best thing that I love about the Shelter is the acceptance. No matter where any of us came from, we are accepted here.

Melanie, age 15

The Shelter felt like a family to me – always helping me when I needed it and making me feel at ease. I might be leaving, but a part of me is staying.

Chelle, age 16

While at the Shelter, I went from an 8th grade math level to almost a 12th grade level. I’m pretty proud of that.

Tasha, age 17