Our History

Children's Homes, Inc., of Paragould (CHI) began in 1955, with the care of four children. It was established to provide a Christian home for children whose parents cannot care for them because of death, separation, abandonment, illness or some other reason. The agency was begun as a part of the benevolent work of the Seventh and Mueller Church of Christ in Paragould. This agency is now being helped by many congregations and many individuals.

Children' Homes was incorporated in the Circuit Court of Greene County, Arkansas, on the September 21, 1956, with the elders of the Seventh and Mueller congregation being its Board of Directors. All future Board members would be elders of this congregation. Any elder who has served and who moves away may remain on the Board if he chooses and the other elders agree.

The first permanent cottage owned by CHI opened to receive children on January 1, 1959. Over the years, nine living units have been built in Paragould, one of these is off campus. In an effort to lessen the negative aspects of the institutional care, family style housing is used. Each living unit has a husband and wife who serve as full-time group home parents to provide the parental role models and guidance needed by the children.

In July of 1969, Children's Homes received authority from the State Welfare Department to place children in foster homes and for adoption. CHI became the first agency in the State to receive a formal placement license for children.

Beginning in 1969 CHI began caring for maternity clients who wished to place their child for adoption. In 1985 a Maternity Home was started in Paragould. This program now offices out of North Little Rock division which handles all foster care in private homes.

In addition to the nine child caring homes in Paragould, there are also two living units in Kennett, Missouri, formerly known as the Homecrest Children's Home. CHI took over the administration of this program in 1983. CHI assisted other groups in establishing their own program. One of these became an independent program in 1981 at Searcy under the name Searcy Children's Home. In 1992, Children's Homes began a group home for children in North Little Rock. It was dedicated on Father's Day. We provide placement and counseling services for children placed there. It is designated as group home number 12.

Presently, Children’s Homes’ support comes from the following sources:

• 27% - Churches

• 46% - Individuals

• 7% - Corporations and Foundations

• 3% - Social Security

• 5% - Wills

• 9% - Restricted Endowment Funds

• 3% - Thrift Shoppe, relative support, and other varied incomes on occasion.

A few of the children come from homes where a parent died and some of these receive a small social security check. CHI does not receive financial support from the Department of Human Services or from the federal government. On occasion the Department of Human Services when referring a child will provide a small amount for the original clothing purchased for a child and will pay for the psychological evaluation and medical check-up through Medicaid. Since new children are constantly coming into care, and costs continue to rise, we must continue to contact non-supporting congregations and individuals seeking support for the care of children.

Our budget and financial information is available anytime to the general public. CHI is audited annually by an outside CPA firm. Their representatives meet regularly with our staff and annually with our board of directors. Our funds are used in the following areas:

• 60% - Direct Child Care

• 29% - Support Services (salaries, utilities, repairs, insurance, training, etc.)

• 11% - Publicity and Development

Since our founding, over 2,200 children have received substitute family care. Children receive care in private foster homes, residential group homes, adoptive homes, maternity services, and independent living apartments.

Children's Homes, Inc. is a charitable, non-profit organization according to the U.S. Treasury Department. Contributions are deductible by donors as provided in section 170 of the Code.

Overall Objectives and Goals

1. Develop a Child and Family Service program that emphasizes the Christ-centered concept of life.

2. Develop a program that seeks the restoration of broken lives and families. This includes helping a child to recognize his/her personal worth and value, his/her place in life, and helping the child to meet his/her needs.

3. Develop programs that are therapeutic and remedial. To help the child meet his/her social, emotional, physical, spiritual, mental and educational needs, and overcome his/her deficiencies.

4. Aggressively seek a qualified staff through recruitment, training, compensation and incentives.

5. Constantly seek financial resources needed to carry on the present services, new financial support to meet the planned future programs including endowment funds for future growth.

6. Develop facilities adequate to meet the expanding and changing needs of the agency.

7. Always be aware of the standards that govern the agency and always excel the standards. Remembering that the Christ-centered person seeks to be the best at all times and goes beyond the state’s expectations.

8. Constantly keep in mind that it is the children’s needs that have priority and not those of the parent(s), staff, board, supporting churches, individuals, and other constituencies.

9. Never forget that He died for us that we might live and our constant purpose is to "become conformed to His image."