Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Audrey’s Home of Hope takes new direction
Although the boutique is still going strong, the programming at Audrey’s Home of Hope has been suspended for more than a year. The organization, founded to help pregnant women in crisis, is being revamped with a new board of directors and a slightly different focus.
“We want to make a lasting change,” says Ryan Hale, chairman of the Board of Directors. “We want to help young mothers be independent.”
Hale and Doug Bachman joined the board together in early 2017, just as the founders of Audrey’s, Jennifer Reis and Ed Lemerise, were moving out of Bella Vista.
Under the original board, Audrey’s had bought properly off Forrest Hills Boulevard and had preliminary plans for a shelter. Several pregnant women had been housed in rented properties, and others had moved on into their own apartments. But the program was having trouble financially.
In December 2017, the residents in the rentals
were ready to move on, and the board decided to “pause” programming to look at its mission and the future of the nonprofit.
The land on Forrest Hills Boulevard was sold. It just wasn’t a practical place for a shelter, Bachman explains. It was too isolated, and that posed some
transportation issues.
As the board members searched for the best ways to prepare young, single mothers for success, they found a group with a similar focus. Inseitz, a consulting firm that specializes in leadership training for women, was founded by Becky Paneitz, the former president of Northwest Arkansas Community College. Inseitz runs the Women’s Empowerment Center, the only program in Northwest Arkansas that focuses exclusively on professional development for women.
With help from Inseitz, Hale expects to form a cohort — about 10 young women who are pregnant or have young children
— to enter a six-month program. They’ll meet every other week, and each will be able to meet with a life coach. They will be learning life skills and planning their own successful futures. Hale predicts there may be two or three cohorts a year in the future.
The education program will probably start in May, Hale says, while the board considers other ways to help. It may not be a shelter, he adds.
One future program may be host families. Rather than housing the woman in a shelter, they may find families who will take in a pregnant woman or a mother with a new baby. The host family will be able to offer mentoring as well as room and board, he says.
Some young women may be able to stay in their parents’ homes, Bachman explains, but they will still benefit from the Inseitz program, which will give them the tools they need to become independent. Audrey’s can also help young mothers find housing and other services through agencies already in place, he says.
“We’re not just affecting one generation,” Bachman says, “the potential impact goes further.”
The boutique, located on Forrest Hills Boulevard, will remain open, he says, and the funds raised there will go toward the new programming.
A new website is also in the works at www.audreys homeofhope.com. The website is the best way to find out more about Audrey’s, Hale says.
The board is still growing, Hale adds, and so will the mission. He believes the new incarnation of Audrey’s is sustainable, and it will continue to impact families in Northwest Arkansas.