Genesis House continues to help homeless in the area
Genesis House is a Siloam Springs’ nonprofit that few people have heard of.
According to James Walls, Genesis House’s board president, very few people know about Genesis House and he is seeking to change that.
“Genesis House is bigger than one person,” Walls said. “It is a community business or nonprofit because we are serving people in the community.”
What is Genesis House
Genesis House is a multi-functioning homeless entity as well as a nonprofit, Walls said.
“Within our organization we provide day services for those who are most vulnerable,” Walls said.
People who are the most vulnerable can wash their clothes, get a hot meal, take a shower and use the restroom, something most people take for granted, Walls said.
“A lot of people don’t have the ability to even brush their teeth,” Walls said. “Those little things, while they seem small to us, are really big to those who don’t have them.”
Depending on the needs and time of year, Genesis House will provide sleeping bags, blankets, backpacks and emergency equipment, Walls said. Genesis House is also a safety avenue for people.
“When we talk about the most vulnerable population,” Walls began “it’s very easy for them to be in situations that are not safe and so Genesis House provides kind of a safety environment for them to be able to be there during operating hours.”
Presently, Genesis House is open from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, according to Genesis House’s website. Walls said Genesis House hopes to expand its hours. He hopes to expand the hours until at least 5 p.m. and possibly have an
G enesis House is bigger than one person. It is a community business or non-profit because we are serving people in the community.”
— James Walls
hat the community needs to know is that we run our program very stringently. We don’t just give handouts to people. We work with people who are willing to put in the work to better themselves and they just need that extra little bit of help.”
— Abbie Netzel, board member, Genesis House
on-call volunteer or staff member available later into the evening.
The reason Genesis House is open such a short time is two-fold, Walls said. Part of it involves finances and the other part is manpower, he said.
Genesis House has two full-time employees: A case manager and an office administrator, as well as two volunteers.
“If we had more volunteers that could help facilitate people coming in and being present at the Genesis House, we could open up for longer periods of time,” Walls said.
Genesis House currently provides services in Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma. Genesis House receives clients from Bentonville and Fayetteville as well as Oklahoma towns: Grove, Miami, Tahlequah and Tulsa, he said.
Walls isn’t sure how long Genesis House has been in operation but believes it may have been started in 1995. Before Genesis House, area churches performed these services, mainly offering hot meals and meal vouchers, Walls said.
Another program Genesis House runs is called the
Family JumpStart Program also known as the “Tiny Homes” program, which helps the most vulnerable restart their lives in small homes.
“When someone enters into the Tiny Homes program, we buy them dishes and towels,” Walls said. “Basically it’s kind of like a starter kit. Once they graduate out of that program they can either take it or leave it. If they leave it we’ll donate all of that over to the Manna Center or the Potter’s House.”
Genesis House partners with Kenwood Baptist Church, which owns the small homes, to administer the programs, Walls said.
The timeframe in the homes ranges from a few months to six months, Walls said. He also said the timeframe depends on the client and how they work the program. Many of the program’s participants are women and children, Walls said.
A total of 154 people have been served in the Family JumpStart Program, said Caseworker Lisa Burch. Of those, 86 were served in the traditional program where clients are assisted in dealing with eviction notices or obtaining rent assistance to get into a rental property, while 68 have been served in the small homes, Burch said.
“We help them with budgeting and teach them skills for work,” Walls said. “It helps them get a job and a start.”
The need
Programs run by Genesis House do require funds and materials which is where Genesis House needs help. Finances are in short supply, Walls said.
“Not only do we have to keep the doors open, pay employees but we have to support (our) programs,” Walls said.
Presently, Genesis House does not receive any funds from the federal government or any other organization, although it did have a United Way grant at one time that Genesis House needs to reapply for, Walls said.
Genesis House is also in need of diapers, sleeping bags, emergency blankets and personal hygiene kits, Walls said. Genesis House also has a commercial refrigerator that needs to be fixed, Walls said.
The other thing Genesis House is in short supply of is volunteers. Volunteers can spend an hour a day up to every single day, Walls said.
Lastly, Genesis House needs a new executive director and new board members, Walls said. Genesis House has not had an executive director since June of 2022, said Walls said, who is serving as interim director.
There are presently five active board members on the board at Genesis House and there is room for eight more.
Genesis House is constantly needing support and partnerships with community vendors and people, Walls said. Anyone willing to partner with Genesis House is welcome, he said.
Board member Abbie Netzel said along with diapers, sleeping bags and toiletry items, pop-top food items are also needed.
“I have two little girls so the diaper thing breaks my heart,” Netzel said.
Walls said he had twin boys and understands what it was like to have to children in diapers at one time. Genesis House has also seen an uptick in veterans services, Walls said.
If Genesis House can’t help some of the veterans, they are referred to American Legion Post 29 or Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1674, both in Siloam Springs, for help.
What is being done
Walls said he would like to see a gala held for Genesis House. In December, the annual Realtors Christmas Dinner and Silent Auction raised $15,339 for Genesis House, Netzel said.
Netzel went on to say part of the problem is a misconception of how Genesis House runs its programs and distributes its resources.
“What the community needs to know is that we run our program very stringently,” Netzel said. “We don’t just give handouts to people. We work with people who are willing to put in the work to better themselves and they just need that extra little bit of help.”
Walls said he uses the word “stewardship” a lot in meetings because he feels Genesis House has a responsibility to those funding it. Part of that is using donations for not only programs but operating costs, Walls said.
“When we get a donation we can’t just put 100 percent of it to a program, we have to have employees there,” Walls said. “We have to pay bills. There are operations costs as well.”
One of the goals Walls has is for Genesis House to have an overnight facility, he said. Walls said there is no such facility in either Siloam Springs or Northeast Oklahoma. He believes Tulsa and Fayetteville are the two closest cities with such facilities as well as a Salvation Army facility in Bentonville.
“On this 412 corridor there’s nothing here,” Walls said. “There’s a lot of transient people who come through here.”
Another thing Walls would like to see is that Genesis House have a licensed social worker or professional counselor on staff, particularly for the Family JumpStart Program.
Presently, Genesis House partners with Ozark Guidance and the Siloam Springs Community Counseling Clinic to provide counseling services to their clients, Walls said.
A concern Walls has is that if someone calls Genesis House’s on-call line late at night a counselor needs to be available to help, he said.
“Some of our goals are a little lofty but it needs to be started,” Walls said. “It will never happen if we don’t start it.”