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Nonprofit Spotlight words Catherine Frederick with Chris Joannides, Executive Director, Riverview Hope Campus
DS: How did Hope Campus come to be? HOPE Campus was a community project through the Old Fort Homeless Coalition working with many stakeholders to address the rise in homelessness and the desire to offer an evidence-based model for providing services. The campus model offers a variety of services all under one roof, therefore reducing the many barriers our community homeless and underserved populations face daily.
DS: Who does Hope Campus serve and in what ways? We are open to anyone in need of assistance, whether homeless or just in need
The Riverview Hope Campus is a place where homeless service providers will meet to offer comprehensive assistance to the homeless in our area. Their mission is to provide a safe environment, through a network of regional partners, and comprehensive services to impoverished individuals and families in the River Valley to improve their livelihood and in return, strengthen the community. Through care, treatment, and services RHC will address acute needs as well as help individuals identify root causes of the challenges they face so that these individuals can pursue a path to self-sufficiency. Do South® reached out to Chris Joannides, Executive Director, to learn more.
of a hand up. Our emergency shelter houses thirty-five individuals nightly, plus an additional eighty-six program beds available to individuals wanting to enroll in one of four tracs to work towards self-sufficiency. We offer a laundry facility, salon, three meals a day, showers, dog kennels for those with companions, case management to assist in reaching goals and objectives, onsite medical clinic by Mercy, and we have just opened HOPE Cares, which is our clinical department to help uncover the many root causes of homelessness.
DS: Tell us how Hope Campus’s mission impacts our community. HOPE Campus works towards two areas, affordable housing, and mental health. We wish to offer a hand up, working directly on individual case plans so we improve the lives and community of Fort Smith.
DS: How can our community get involved with Hope Campus? Our biggest need is volunteers and groups to help us with serving meals. We serve more than 300+ meals daily to our residents and members of our community. If
301 South E Street
your church group or civic club can help, we can get you plugged in right away!
Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.668.4764
DS: What else should our readers know about?
riverviewhopecampus.org
We were awarded a grant to expand our emergency shelter, so we will be under construction soon, which will lead us to our next phase of transitional housing. This is a phase up from shelter and programming yet will give forty-eight individuals
Next month, we’ll showcase another worthy charity in our area free of charge. If you have a nonprofit you’d like to see recognized, email us at catherine@dosouthmagazine.com.
more flexibility as they progress towards individual goals and self-sufficiency. Our capital campaign kicks off soon and donations can be made to HOPE Campus 301 South E Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901.
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