Little Rock, Arkansas – In preparation for the next winter, the Little Rock Compassion Center is already collecting contributions of cold-weather apparel.
“We’re getting started a little bit early this year on the cold weather because I really think we might have a bad winter,” said William Holloway, CEO and pastor of Little Rock Compassion Center.
Having been constructed in 1998, the facility has been a mainstay of Little Rock for the past 25 years. The number of individuals the shelter feeds each night varies from 200 to 225 during the winter, and it is approximately 150 during the summer.
Hopefully, we’re kind of a light, you know, for them,” said front desk supervisor Bart Caulder. “Come here you can get shelter, you can take a shower, you can eat, and if you choose to, you can get in a program and get back on your feet again.
After completing the drug and alcohol program in 2013, Caulder and his spouse visited the center.
“We came here because of drugs and alcohol,” Caulder said. “We became homeless because of drugs and alcohol and we didn’t have any place to go. We were out on the street for a minute. A lady brought us here and ultimately we got into a program, the drug and alcohol program.”
Leaders of the shelter claim that they welcome 15 to 20 new clients each month. Inflation is even driving up immigration to Arkansas.
“Homelessness is increasing,” Holloway said. “We’re also seeing people coming in from other states now because they say that inflation is so high there they can’t make it, so they’re coming into here.”
For people in need of support, the Little Rock Compassion Center is open around the clock.
We feel we’re serving the need of our community while we’re doing what God has called us to do,” Holloway said.
For possible contributions, the shelter is seeking coats, gloves, caps, and even socks. To find out more about how to make a donation, go to the LRCC website.