UAFS to partner with Restore Hope on ‘100 Families’ effort

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) and Restore Hope plan to soon announce a what they say will be a “transformative” partnership to expand the 100 Families Initiative in Sebastian County.

Beginning July 1, UAFS will help support the 100 Families Initiative of Sebastian County, with the organization’s family advocate coordinator becoming a staff member in the UAFS Department of Social Work. The collaboration underscores the university’s commitment to empowering families and driving social mobility in the Fort Smith metro, UAFS noted in the press release.

“This partnership is incredibly meaningful, as it will allow the Department of Social Work to deepen its role in helping individuals move from crisis to stability,” UAFS Chancellor Dr. Terisa Riley said in the statement. “It also strengthens our mission to serve this community, providing the citizens of the River Valley a hand up when they need it most.”

State, regional and community officials and partners are scheduled to be part of an official announcement on May 19 in the Reynolds Room of the UAFS campus center.

Through a fully grant-funded partnership, UAFS will be the lead organization for the 100 Families Initiative of Sebastian County as part of an effort to boost local leadership and program sustainability.

“Moving the 100 Families Initiative under UAFS is a natural and important next step,” said Restore Hope Executive Director Paul Chapman. “By embedding 100 Families within UAFS, we’re strengthening the foundation for sustainable, community-led solutions.”

The 100 Families Initiative began as a conversation in a UAFS boardroom more than a decade ago and now operates in 19 Arkansas counties and has expanded as far as Michigan and Canada, according to the UAFS. Sebastian County, selected as the pilot site in 2019 due to critical challenges in incarceration and foster care, has since seen measurable reductions in both.

The effort, which includes several nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, and schools, focuses on using the resources of all groups to help individuals and families find stability through housing, employment, education, transportation, and mental health care, and other key services.

Progress is measured using HopeHub, a collaborative case management system that allows service providers to track family outcomes in real time, according to the UAFS press release.