Supporters of the ECHO Village are currently working to raise money for Phase Two of the project to provide decent, affordable housing for area citizens.
“Christopher P. Epley “Big Cat” Hospitality House will be 1936 sq. ft. built in the central area of ECHO Village at 107 Passion Play Rd in Eureka Springs,” gofundme.com/f/Christopher-P-Epley-Hospitality-House, states. “It will serve as the central gathering area for the Village. It will include a dining/meeting area that will seat 36, a kitchen, laundry area, manager’s office, and handicap accessible bathroom on the lower 1320 sq. ft level. A second floor (616 sq. ft.) will have two sleeping rooms and two full bathrooms. This will serve as shelter for battered women, homeless families, and select homeless individuals. They will have access to the kitchen & laundry facilities on the first floor. Currently there is no shelter of this nature in Eureka Springs.
“ECHO Village is a planned community of 26 small homes built on 9 wooded acres to assist the homeless, or housing insecure with mental health issues, recent prison release, or just bad luck. Eleven homes and a studio apartment have been built and are operating at capacity. A social worker, medical doctor, the resident manager, and the members of the village work together to assist those in transition rebuild their lives and learn to live in community.
“Chris’s Place is named to honor and remember Chris (Big Cat) Epley, who died tragically in a work-related injury in 2016. Chris had a heart of gold, and was always about helping others, particularly the less fortunate. It will be built with volunteer labor, and we estimate a cost of $175,000. The west part of ECHO Village, where Chris’s Place will be built, needs water, sewer & lift station that will cost approximately $100,000. So. our goal is to raise $275,000 to make this happen without accruing more debt. We will then be poised to complete the remaining 15 homes, as infrastructure will be in place.”
ECHO board president Tim Adams, who also chairs the fundraising committee, said he believes Chris’s Place will be a great help to our community and county to have a place that women seeking to get out of a bad relationship can go.
“It will be a place that they can stay temporarily while we help them get on their feet,” Adams said. “The facility we are working to build would not be limited to that, but we could help people that have a variety of needs and find themselves without housing. This is intended to be a short-term stay facility. Right now, there is no answer to homelessness in our county, and placing people in local hotels is the only answer.”
Adams said they’re also using these funds to complete the infrastructure needed to build this facility, which will allow them to move forward later with additional small homes on the property to provide more housing in the future as well.
“We want to make sure Chris is remembered,” Dr. Dan Bell said. “He did a lot of work at the ECHO Clinic, and the Home & More thrift store. He was a very fine craftsman. He did quite a bit of the welding and construction. He also volunteered quite a bit. He cared a lot about ECHO. He was a big supporter. As years go by, we hope that naming this facility after Chris will honor him for all the work he did.”
Bell said this is also an important next step for getting ECHO Village finished by installing water and sewer infrastructure on the back of the property located near the intersection of US 62 and Passion Play Rd. An eight-inch water main and a sewage lift station is going to have to be built for Chris’s House and the next 15 homes to be built at the village.
Bell said some funds have already been raised among supporters of the ECHO Village. He asks people to share the Go Fund Me page on social media and visit with friends about it.
Mayor and architect Butch Berry has volunteered to design the new building. Berry also designed the ECHO Clinic and ECHO Village.
Bell said that since they have started building the ECHO Village, the problem with lack of affordable housing has gotten even worse. Bell said his wife, Suzie, is working every week with people who have been evicted and are unable to find a place to stay.
“We do need to get the ECHO Village finished,” Bell said. “That would really help a lot.”