Like the pig in search of truffles, rooting out the good news in a mad world sometimes takes a little effort. But good news is to be found. And the reporters at this newspaper often find it.
Our House, the Little Rock nonprofit that serves and transitions the homeless and near homeless, is breaking ground on a $16 million expansion. The project will double the group's housing capacity, double the number of children it can serve, and provide more space for the invaluable workforce training programs it provides.
Through more than 200 private donations, Our House has raised $13 million of the $16 million needed to complete its checklist. Expansion will add more than 27,000 square feet of housing, and expanded programs will include on-site services for mental and physical health for the first time.
Our House plays an understated and perhaps under-appreciated role in central Arkansas. The group provides refuge for those in need and works to transition Arkansans back into the workforce, into self-sustainability.
Residents can stay at Our House for up to two years as long as they hold down a job and meet certain requirements such as paying a small maintenance fee, saving most of their earnings and participating in daily chores.
Our House is a refuge for that mom with kids in each arm who finds herself with nowhere else to turn.
There aren't many causes as noble.
The paper reports that the planned expansion will be the largest ever undertaken by Our House, launched in the '80s as a 40-bed emergency shelter in the old parish hall of St. Andrew's Cathedral downtown.
Our House officials hope to see all the new facilities and services up and running by next fall. We wish them every success, and thank them for the truffles.