BENTONVILLE — Administrators at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter said Wednesday they are on track to meet endowment and donation needs for 2011 when the shelter will move and expand its emergency housing facilities.
The shelter, located near Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard and South Vaughn Road, provides emergency shelter for up to 32 children removed from their homes by the Arkansas Department of Human Services because of abuse or neglect. Frankie Rankin, the shelter’s annual giving manager, said the facility was at or near capacity almost daily.
“We’re pretty close to maxed-out all the time,” Rankin said.
In March 2011, a new children’s emergency shelter, under construction since October, will open 2 miles to the west of the existing shelter. The new facility, which sits on about 80 acres of land, will initially provide emergency housing for up to 48 children. Rankin said as construction moves through subsequent phases, the facility will be able to house as many as 72 children within a few years of opening.
According to the shelter’s 2008 annual progress report, the shelter received about $3.53 million in contributions from donors and state agencies. While this amount exceeded expenditures by more than $1.3 million, the expanded facility will require additional money for staff and other operational expenses, said Tim Nichols, the shelter’s executive director.
“As we look into our new facility, we’re trying to complete a $9 million capital campaign,” Nichols said. “Those funds will be utilized to subsidize the increased operational expenses that we’ll have. Beyond the next two to three years, we have longer-term plans for the facility.”
Linda Phillips, the shelter’s chief development officer, said the campaign is within $2 million of the $9 million goal.
“We’re hoping to get that wrapped up by the day we move in,” Phillips said.
The shelter has 33 full-time employees and 31 part-time employees, in addition to about 170 volunteers who give between 7,000 and 8,000 hours of service annually, Nichols said.
In addition to raising operational money, staff members said the shelter was always in need of basic items necessary for day-to-day operation.
“Toilet paper, paper towels, diapers — anything that you can imagine you’d need to run your own household, plus 32 kids,” Rankin said.
In 2009, 103 of the 426 children who stayed at the shelter as of Dec. 30 were from homes in Benton County. According to statistics provided by the Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County, Benton County had the highest per capita rate of reported child abuse.
“It’s going on right here,” Rankin said. “And I think a lot of people are not aware of that.”