There’s no place like home

Above: Errin Stanger speaks about the Providence Park project during a groundbreaking ceremony in May. Stanger, through her nonprofit Refugee Village, will be handling the development and organization of the project to help combat chronic homelessness.

By Sarah Perry
AAC Communications Coordinator

Pulaski County officials are taking on a new project to help the chronically homeless.

“Addressing housing insecurity and chronic homelessness in a meaningful and sustainable manner is crucial. The instability of chronic homelessness is not only detrimental to our individuals and families but can strain public resources and our justice system,” said Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Providence Park project.

This project is a replica of the successful Community First! Village in Travis County, outside of Austin, Texas, and is designed to help those who have been chronically homeless.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Chronic homelessness is used to describe people who have experienced homelessness for at least a year — or repeatedly — while struggling with a disabling condition such as a serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or physical disability.”

Errin Stanger, through her nonprofit Refugee Village, has been tasked with developing and operating the park.

Stanger’s passion for helping the homeless began when she regularly noticed homeless individuals seeking respite outside the Innovation Hub, where she worked as executive director.

“Even though I could give them the immediate help that maybe they needed: food or a shower, a fresh change of clothes … I’m going to see them again tomorrow,” she said, adding that she felt a more long-term solution was needed.

She began researching and visiting with various organizations across the state. During a nationwide study, she came across the Community First! Village project in Texas.

That project, which was founded by Alan Graham, started with a food truck ministry more than 20 years ago. Like Stanger, Graham decided he wanted to do more, so he started an RV park to help people coming out of chronic homelessness. Eventually, the project transitioned from RVs to tiny homes.

Stanger said when she visited the Community First! Village she knew she was in a special place.

Hyde said he also was impressed by the village and thought the project could work in his county. He believes this project will be a dignified place for people to call home.

“We wanted our village to be a place of hope, grace and empowerment,” he said at the groundbreaking ceremony while describing how they decided on the name for the park.

Construction is currently underway in southeast Pulaski County on the first phase of project, which Hyde hopes will be completed in mid-winter or early spring. The county purchased 150 acres at this location and the goal is to construct 400 tiny homes on 50 acres. Hyde said he hopes to add other affordable housing opportunities later at the site.

These tiny homes are unique in that they do not include a kitchen or bathroom. Instead, residents will use community laundry, kitchen and bath facilities. The park also will include a health center, community garden, Harmony Hall, Nilu’s Nook, and fabrication lab. These common spaces will encourage residents to interact with other neighbors and will create the community aspect that is a crucial piece of the Community First! Village project.

Stanger explained that this focus on creating a community atmosphere comes from Graham’s belief that homelessness comes from “a profound, catastrophic loss of family.”

For someone who is used to being homeless, moving into a home can be traumatizing. To help with this transition, the park will have a neighbor care team who will work with new neighbors during a six-week course. In this course, new neighbors will learn rules for living in the community and how daily life works within the community.

Rules of the community include paying rent on time and abiding by civil law, she explained.

Roger Marlin, who has been assisting with the project and visited the Texas site with Hyde, said he was impressed with the comradery shown within the community.

“When you leave you realize how little the house has to do with it. It is the community. It’s not just providing 250 square feet for someone to live in. It’s them to be a part of a neighborhood that they have never been a part of. That’s the glue that makes it work,” Marlin said.

Part of Stanger’s job in developing the Pulaski County project is building relationships with people who can help the individuals who will eventually live there. She has spoken with a wide range of organizations, including churches, nonprofits, for profit companies, individuals and families.

“We’re just getting started,” she said.

Along with the resources that will be located within Providence Park, the development is also near several amenities, including a grocery store, drug store, library, medical clinics, police substation, restaurants, small businesses and churches, Hyde said.

The county has earmarked $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the project, and Stanger is also applying for grant funding.

The Pulaski County project, which is one of 12 replicas of the Community First! Village, is the only project being led by the county.

Along with helping the people who will live there, Hyde hopes this project will help build a sense of pride for other Pulaski County residents and encourage additional efforts to help others.

Meanwhile, two new housing projects in Benton County are getting off the ground thanks to some assistance from Benton County officials.

In Benton County, a housing issue has been brewing for years, as the county is growing faster than the housing inventory can keep up, said Benton County Judge Barry Moehring, who served on a National Association of Counties (NACo) housing task force.

According to Realtor.com, in July 2024, the median home list price in Benton County was $449,500 and $211 per square foot. The median home sold price was $382,000.

In May, a 160-unit multifamily development called McAuley Place project was announced. The project will be built on 11 acres within the city of Bentonville and is a public-private partnership.

County officials were approached by The Excellerate Foundation about becoming involved in the project. The foundation had previously partnered with the county during the COVID-19 pandemic to administer emergency rental assistance funds and for workforce education programs.

The county had $2.4 million of Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funds leftover that must be used by the end of 2026. The foundation approached Moehring about transitioning these funds to housing assistance funds. In a grant making role, the county is providing $400,000 for the McAuley Place project. Other partners involved in the project include the Bentonville School District, the Walton Family Foundation, Mercy Health, and Arvest Bank.

“What is great about the McAuley Place project is that it is an innovative start to address workforce housing. It’s not the end all. The issue is bigger than what one project can solve, but it’s an innovative start. It’s a great project to learn from and improve as well as address this problem,” said Moehring.

According to the foundation, the project will serve about 200 families who make between 30 and 60 percent of the Area Median Income — $28,000 to $55,000 annually for a family of four.

“Nowhere is the affordable housing crisis more prevalent in the region than in Bentonville,” according to a statement from Jeff Webster, president/CEO of Excellerate Foundation. “The people who are the core of Bentonville — the public servants, the retail workers, the restaurant staff, paramedical professionals, and more — can’t afford to live in the city that they serve. We can’t turn our backs on the people who help make Bentonville the amazing place that it is.”

In the first phase of the project, 60 units with either one, two or three bedrooms will be completed. Rent payments are projected to be between $450 and $800 per month.

Benton County is also providing $2 million in ERA funds to another housing project in Rogers that will be in an area struck by a tornado in May, Moehring said.