Builders of Hope

The Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter (NWAWS) is facing a serious and potentially devastating financial crisis. Over the last 14 months, a completely new leadership team has looked into all facets of the organization’s operations.

During this same time, new members of the Board began their own review. Despite many coming into the review with a pre-conceived idea that cutting expenses was the solution, both groups concluded that NWAWS is facing a revenue problem—one it has been facing for years. Simply put, our expenses—which increased to meet growing demand for services—outstripped our ability to generate revenue.

There are many reasons for this shortfall. Most are results of decisions and actions or inaction that cannot be changed. One could look at early decisions and say we should have never done x or y, but we did. Looking at the circumstances surrounding those decisions, one can only conclude that the decision makers acted in the best interest of the organization with the information available to them at the time.

Well-intentioned decisions do not always produce well-intentioned results.

The cumulative consequences of those decisions is that we are now strapped for cash, poor in assets, and yet continually receiving requests for service. The unfortunate reality is that the demand for our services has never been so great. However, neither have resources needed to support those services been in such short supply.

Frankly, this means without a significant cash infusion, shelter operations will cease in July 2016. For the first time in nearly thirty years, Benton County will be without an organization specifically designed to address the needs of victims of domestic abuse and their children. Hundreds of moms or dads and their children will not have access to safe shelter. Thousands of individuals will not receive help through our crisis hotline. Untold thousands will not be exposed to messages about safe dating, healthy relationships, and how to recognize the ‘red flags’ of abusive relationships.

This does not have to be our fate. Over the past year we have analyzed our challenges, developed a comprehensive three-year development plan, revitalized our advocacy program with an emphasis on providing services in the community, and identified two additional areas requiring further study: our facility needs and our brand. While changes in these two areas might be forthcoming, they will not occur quickly because our clients and the community can ill-afford for us to make more hasty decisions. Our clients rely on our services to reach their potential, and we cannot reach ours without the community’s support.

What can you do to help?

You can become a donor – a one-time or a sustaining donor (Builder of Hope) – by clicking here and making a contribution. You may also write a check and mail it to us at P.O. Box 1059, Rogers, AR 72757.

If you are interested in making a significant donation to the shelter and its future, we would be delighted to meet with you and whomever else you would like to include in those discussions.

You can become our ambassador by encouraging organizations to invite us to share about the dynamics and pervasiveness of domestic abuse/violence and how we can all make a difference in changing lives. You can introduce us to other individuals, organizations, businesses, and community or faith groups that might want to know about or get involved with us and learn how we provide services to victims, their children, and the community.

You can donate to and shop at the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter Thrift Store located at 1622 S 8th St in Rogers (in the Southgate Shopping Center). Sales from the thrift store generate about 20% of the gross revenue needed to sustain organizational operations. Plus clients always get to shop for items they may need at no cost to their family.

You can follow us on social media, share our content, and encourage others in your network to do the same.

What we need is prompt action and then long-term sustaining support and involvement.

What will you do to take action and join us?

Builders of Hope is a new giving program to recognize compassionate and dedicated donors who donate monthly . . .

. . . because they want to see individuals transformed from being victims of abuse and violence to survivors who lead violence-free lives;

. . . because they want to see children given new skills for conflict resolution that do not include violence;

. . . because they believe in providing HOPE to break the cycle of abuse now and for future generations, one person and one family at a time.

“[Because of the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter], I can keep my baby alive and prevent my other children from seeing violence. I can breathe and not walk on eggshells. I have a chance to turn things around. I can break a cycle by recognizing red flags and by having a safety plan. For some of us, it [the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter] is our only hope.”

Every dollar received each month is an investment toward giving HOPE to shelter residents and to outreach clients who desire peaceful homes and healthy relationships.

When 250 donors contribute $50 each month,

residents fleeing violence are given a safe place to reside temporarily and a HOPE for a rebuilt life while they chart their actions plans to separate from their abusers, as donors at this level are together covering the cost of the monthly lease.

When 144 donors contribute $25 each month,

clients have access to a professional staff that provides a supportive environment, access to resources, and accountability as clients learn how to move beyond abusive relationships with a HOPE of future relationships defined by healthy boundaries, as donors at this level are together covering the cost of payroll taxes.

When 60 donors contribute $10 each month,

residents have a confident HOPE they are safe, as donors at this level are together covering the cost of the security system.

When 34 donors contribute $5 each month,

clients are ensured transportation to and from court hearings where their HOPE for continued protection is petitioned before a judge, as donors at this level are together covering the cost for gasoline and maintenance of both Shelter vehicles.

to all of our monthly donors,

the Builders of Hope!

Will you consider becoming a monthly donor because you believe in giving hope to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault?

Join today as a recurring donor, a Builder of Hope!

One in four. 1:4. 25%.

These are just different ways to write-out the number of people who experience violence or a fear of violence. In the majority of situations, this violence is carried out by someone whom the victim knows personally—they are betrayed by someone who is supposed to love them or care about them.

In Northwest Arkansas, the number of victims is estimated to be around 125,000. To put that number into context, it represents all the residents of Bentonville, Berryville, Huntsville, and Springdale combined.

When one of these 125,000 faces violence, where can they go for help? Many have the support network of family and friends to get out of the situation. Some try to leave and, sadly, do not make it as their abusers find out and further terrorize them and their children. Some are even killed by their abusers.

Others seek help from emergency safe shelters, like the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter. In 2014 alone, 546 individuals resided in our Shelter (47% of those were children). Their time in the Shelter was spent trying to get beyond the immediate trauma and chaos they had just experienced, trying to breathe on their own again, and trying to think without being yelled at or intimidated. Some of our clients spend a lot of time resting as they have not experienced the feelings of safety and of peace for a long time.

Their time at the Shelter is also a time to refocus. Through support groups and one-on-one advocacy, the isolation they felt in their abusive environments slowly disappears. As our clients transform from victims to survivors, they begin to see the paths they need to take to keep themselves and their children safe.

That journey from victim to survivor is different for every person. Domestic violence shelters exist to provide hope for a better future. We provide the safe and supportive environment survivors need to continue their journeys toward healthier relationships and productive lives.

To continue providing that hope, shelters like ours rely upon the help of community members who want to help build a future for the community that is free of violence. We look to faith-based groups, corporations, and individuals who want to stand against domestic and sexual violence. The negative impact of domestic and sexual violence can improve in Northwest Arkansas only when we are all involved.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Will you consider taking your stand with the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter beginning this month to help? With a gift of $50 per month, you can provide the gift of safety and hope for one woman, child, or man each month. As a “Builder of Hope,” you help lay the foundation for a future that is violence free, one person at a time.

You may join other like-minded Builders of Hope today as together we work toward promoting a community that values abuse- and violence-free homes. Learn more about becoming a Builder of Hope today.

Reaching Our Potential with Your Help

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