23 Mar 2018 Jacob’s Place: Shelter helps homeless families

Posted at 2:20 PMh in Features by

Jacob’s Place Homeless Mission is a shelter located on Market Avenue in Searcy.

Although the world may be full of troubles and problems to work through, there are also glimpses of hope in the world that make enduring these troubles a little easier. For many people in Searcy and White County, Jacob’s Place is one of those glimpses of hope.

Jacob’s Place Homeless Mission is a shelter located on Market Avenue in Searcy. It serves families with children and single women who are experiencing homelessness.

Since its opening in 2008, Jacob’s Place has supplied more than 160 families with rent-free shelter and accommodations as well as aid to be able to support themselves again. Whether this includes finding a job, education, housing or day care or taking parenting and life-skill classes, Jacob’s Place assists families in setting goals and maintaining accountability.

“One of our focuses is to provide a safe and peaceful environment, where our clients can experience a level of stability and begin the process of getting back on their feet,” said Arthur David, Jacob’s Place house manager.

Jacob’s Place began in 2008 under the leadership and initiative of Rebecca Frankford. She realized White County was in desperate need of a shelter like Jacob’s Place and recruited help from individuals like Al Fowler to begin forming bylaws and making it a reality. There was no other place in White County for homeless people to go and receive guidance and shelter.

The house itself is owned by First United Methodist Church and is provided to Jacob’s Place for a rent of $1 a year as long as it continues to meet the needs of the homeless in White County.

After shutting down during a time when they had no residents, Jacob’s Place reopened in the summer of 2016 with a fully renovated house, including an updated and refreshed full kitchen, living room, child’s play room and three fully-stocked bedrooms furnished with beds for five people and individual keys for privacy. With the accessibility to a few extra beds for children and a baby bed, Jacob’s Place has the capability to house as many as 16 to 20 individuals at a time.

Jacob’s Place is not an emergency shelter that provides accommodations night-by-night to whoever walks in the door; a small intake process is required to ensure their tenants have a clean criminal history and drug test. There is also an informal interview to ensure the programs provided by Jacob’s Place are needed; this interview also serves as the time to start setting goals before moving in. The families staying at Jacob’s Place are held accountable and required to meet their goals and maintain their responsibilities.

Another important goal of Jacob’s Place is to remove the labels often placed on homeless people. They strive to give these families a chance to break through the stigma that homeless people don’t try to help themselves. Jacob’s Place hopes to empower families who have found themselves in a cycle of homelessness to escape the stereotypes and return to society respectably.

“Homelessness has many causes; loss of a job, divorce, drugs and alcohol, or just a series of bad decisions,” David said.

Paul McGee is one of the Jacob’s Place success stories. He was a single dad who had fallen into financial trouble due only to health issues and an inability to work in 2016.

“I was scared,” McGee said. “I was nervous. I had just come out of the hospital from surgery, and I didn’t know what I was getting into. But everything at Jacob’s Place stands for good. They help you. They helped me and showed me what to do. No one feels like strangers. It’s family. This is family … If you want to get your life right, and you ain’t got no place to go, turn to Jacob’s Place. They will help you and get you back on your feet.”

Jacob’s Place is constantly reaching out to the community to find the families and individuals who need their help. They are in close contact with the community through local churches, the Department of Human Services, the health department, food pantries and the help of their active board members. They also post frequently on their website and Facebook page as well as spread the word about available rooms using word of mouth.

For more information about Jacob’s Place, call 501.380.8283 or visit jacobsplace.org.

Sonja Keith
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