FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Fayetteville City Council has approved a 2024 budget for 7hills Homeless Center, allowing it to continue operating throughout the year.
The council voted to allocate around $119,400 for 7hills to sustain operations in 2024.
"The numbers are increasing every day, people experiencing homelessness are not going to stop anytime soon. and our numbers are increasing. so that increase in help is going to help a lot more people," Kristina Andazola, 7hills development associate, said.
The city will fund the organization in monthly payments of $9,950 throughout the fiscal year as long it meets certain requirements, such as sending in quarterly reports and ensuring day-to-day operations are benefiting those experiencing homelessness.
"We're going to be using the money that the city gave us to help with operations here at the day center for 2024 help with things like case management, food bags, showers, breakfast and lunch, things that we need to do around here like laundry, so many different things," Andazola recalled.
Even though 7hills now has more money added to its budget, the leaders of the organization say they still need help from the community.
"We still need volunteers. we'd love for volunteers to come in and see what we're doing here at 7 Hills. I think that we need to take care of each other. That's what community is about and when the community steps in, then it's a win-win for everybody." said Andazola.
An organization like 7hills has a major impact on those in need in Fayetteville. One 7hills client, Linda Wilson, has been coming to the day center for a year now and says it's more than just providing the clothes on their back and food on the table.
"They help with food and clothing and shoes and blankets and pillows and anything you can imagine they have they feed you here breakfast and lunch. They even help with job placement, getting people dressed properly for interviews, and filling out applications. It's phenomenal the things that they do home placement, everything. Without the funding, there are so many of us that probably would die out here on the streets," Wilson explained.
"The city of Fayetteville has become our hope, and this is a place of dreams and hope. There's so much here that, you know just picks people up off the ground and steers them in the right direction and gives them new life," Wilson added.
Andazola says 7hills plans to open Walker Residential, the overnight shelter, next month. "That's the biggest thing. We want to make sure that we are housing, people that are experiencing homelessness in our community."
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