For the homeless, a day to unwind

Center’s street fair offers a little fun

Brightly colored balloons were strung up around the parking lot Saturday at the Little Rock Compassion Center where hundreds of homeless men and women arrived to eat, drink and take shelter from the sun.

A band sang Christian and gospel music while streams of people meandered among face-painting booths, popcorn stands and a bouncy house set up for children. The compassion center’s annual street fair fed more than 300 people last year, coordinator Rosemary Holloway said Saturday. This year she prepared to feed 500.

“We have so many people in this neighborhood who feel unwanted,” Holloway said. “We want this to let them know we care.”

A 2017 census in Arkansas recorded 990 homeless people in Lonoke, Prairie, Pulaski and Saline counties, but Holloway said she believes the number is much higher.

On a base level, Holloway said, the fair is meant to be an opportunity for needy men and women to get a meal and basic medical care, and find programs to aid them.

A registered nurse checked blood pressures and inspected wounds Saturday of a constant stream of people. A Health Department official handed out pamphlets about services, and representatives of Goodwill painted hearts and smiles on people’s faces while explaining how the nonprofit helps people in need.

But the fair is also intended to provide the homeless a bit of have fun, an opportunity to listen to music and feel wanted.

“With this community, it’s hard to build relationships,” said Laura Ledbetter, a registered nurse from Jonesboro who volunteered at Saturday’s fair. “This is just a safe environment for them without a hidden agenda. It’s a day where people care for them, love them.”

Ledbetter said that although she could not provide medical diagnoses for people at the fair, she could identify early signs of high blood pressure and recommend treatment for people who had injuries or symptoms of illnesses.

“A lot of people in the homeless community don’t get health care on a regular basis, and so many of them really need it,” she said. “Sometimes they really just don’t realize something’s wrong.”

Ledbetter’s 12-year-old daughter, Maci, has been volunteering at the compassion center, “since she could walk,” Holloway said.

“It’s important,” Maci said. “They don’t have a home. Maybe they can’t get a checkup.”

Christina Hicks, a volunteer coordinator for the center, also took her young sons to the fair.

“I want them to know how to be humble and to know that we’re all the same, no matter where we’re from,” she said. “Because we are. We all are.”

Alexus Summons, one of several members of Greater Paradise Covenant Church who also volunteered Saturday, said helping out at events like the fair is a way for her to express her faith.

“Being a Christian, we should want to help,” Summons said. “This is a part of who we’re supposed to be. We’re supposed to care. If they can have one time, one day where they’re not homeless people, they’re just people — it’s amazing.”

The compassion center’s eight-month recovery program, Holloway said, takes in people who are ready to make changes but need help restarting their lives.

Also at Saturday’s event, men and women who were once homeless or who are in the recovery program volunteered, which Holloway said gives them the opportunity to help people in the way they were once helped.