The Children's Shelter of Walnut Ridge, which has provided a safe haven for children in need since 2009, has been forced to close its doors due to the Family First Prevention Services Act.
According to content partners KAIT, the shelter's administrator Tonjia Miles recently announced that the federal law, which was passed in 2018, prevented the shelter from taking in children 13 years old and younger. The Family First Prevention Services Act is a bipartisan law that prioritizes family-based care over institutional settings.
"We as a board and staff were determined to keep our doors open for as long as we could, but going into the fourth year of this law, we have realized that we are kind of obsolete in the foster care system," Miles said.
Despite the closure, Miles emphasized that people can still make a difference in a child's life by becoming foster or adoptive families, CASA workers, or by reaching out to different agencies that support children.
According to Miles, the Children's Shelter of Walnut Ridge has served over 1,300 children since its inception.