Editor,
It is apparent that many in the area have misconceptions of what ECHO Village is. Having come to the project well into construction I am ignorant of how it was represented. I can, however, attest to what it is.
It is a neighborhood of 10 homes and one short-term apartment with 21 residents. It is populated with three married couples, two of them retired, four single women two with children at home, a single male and an extended immigrant family. Several people in immediate need have cycled through the loft apartment. We are not a village of the formerly homeless.
We are trying to put the commune in community. Our covenants include requiring service to our neighbors and the village property. They are informed of a duty to pitch in and show respect and compassion for each other. Of course, not all are pitching in, as is the case in any human endeavor.
ECHO Village is governed by a subcommittee of the ECHO Clinic board. One goal of the village is to help residents in need to overcome their circumstances and become stable and contributing citizens. We have failed for some, but we will keep working on becoming better at this because our hearts are in the right place. The right place is Eureka Springs.
Mark Eastburn