Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter only serve kids from Northwest Arkansas?

In spite of its geographically specific name, Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter serves children from throughout the state of Arkansas. The majority of its residents come from Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties, but many come from the River Valley and Central Arkansas, as well.

How many children can Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter accommodate?

Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter currently has a total 32 beds, divided into three residence wings – a boys wing, a girls wing and a flex wing.

Why and how are children placed at Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter?

The majority of Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter residents are placed here by the Arkansas Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Division of Children & Family Services (DCFS), in response to a report or allegation of child abuse, abandonment, neglect. Victims of child trafficking are also placed at the Shelter after an intervention by law enforcement. 

Judea

Judea fought her whole life to be free of abuse and neglect. She finally escaped that world and arrived at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter where she immediately began to thrive.

Read more about JudeaImpact stories

Meet Judea

Judea fought her whole life to be free of abuse and neglect. She finally escaped that world and arrived at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter where she immediately began to thrive. For the first time in 17 years, she imagined living a normal life just like every other high school student. This included a wish to go to high school prom.

Casey, her case manager during her stay at the Children’s Shelter, shares:

“My heart is filled with so much joy! I got the privilege to go to prom with one of my kiddos from the shelter. No, it wasn’t a typical prom situation, but when a kiddo finally escapes abuse for the first time in 17 years, we do all we can to make it a perfect night for her. She is strong, resilient, courageous, unique, ambitious and unassuming. She inspires me and she is one of the million reasons I will never stop fighting for these kids. Prom night was a sweet reminder that no matter how many hard days we have to face, these special moments make every single hard day completely worth it. If these kiddos can endure years and years of abuse, then we can endure an infinite number of hard days. We have to, because they need us.”

Casey Krisell, former Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter Case Manager

I like the Shelter because we get new stuff, like clothes, and we get to go outside and play kickball.

Adam, age 6

Thanks you NWACS, I now have a bright and successful future. I can’t say thank you enough and I will never forget the amazing people here.

Sammy, 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