The Arkansas homeless community is struggling during the river flooding. Many homeless camps near the river are now underwater, leaving the people who live there scrambling to find a new place to stay.
The Arkansas Homeless Coalition is collecting camping supplies, like tents, sleeping bags, tarps and blankets, to make living easier for people for now.
The supplies can be dropped off at the Willie Hinton Neighborhood resource center on 12th Street in Little Rock.
“The folks that were living in camps, that was their way of surviving,” AHC President, Sandra Wilson said. “They have lost their belongings too. They're not something that can just dry out and they can use it again.”
Though right now, AHC and the city of Little Rock are focused on short-term help, organizers are making plans to find long-term solutions.
On June 12 at 10:00 a.m. at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library, faith leaders, city directors and advocates are coming together to talk about other sheltering options for the homeless community, including campgrounds and tiny homes.
“This is a great opportunity to kick off a focused and collaborative effort of developing sheltering options for persons experiencing homelessness,” Wilson said. “This meeting is an opportunity to create real change through collective action.”