A woman without shoes approached Canvas Community Church from the intersection of Seventh and Ringo streets in Little Rock on Wednesday afternoon.
Paul Atkins, a Canvas associate pastor, asked her if she was staying for the movie. She said she was looking for a meal and some shoes.
After Atkins directed her to both, the woman sat in the audience in front of a projector showing the film "Starsky and Hutch." The crowd grew over the next few hours until almost every seat was full.
Atkins said between 60 and 90 people usually go to Dinner and a Movie, a weekly event in which people experiencing homelessness or food insecurity can receive a free meal and some clothing, with the bonus of watching a movie. The event used to be indoors before the covid-19 pandemic caused it to be moved outside last year, Atkins said.
Wednesday's event marked the 10th anniversary of Dinner and a Movie, one of several services Canvas provides for the homeless community in Little Rock. The church was established in 2009, and a winter storm in 2011 "got us in the deep end" of helping the homeless when the church opened a warming shelter to protect people who lived on the streets, Atkins said.
The following summer, some of the same people who had gone to the shelter told Canvas leadership that they did not feel welcome at film screenings in city parks, Atkins said.
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"We said, 'We've got a screen that we use for worship, [so] why don't you come hang out with us?'" he said.
The film started at 3:30 p.m., and dinner was served at 4:30 p.m. after Atkins led the group in prayer. The church also provided clothing and shoes for anyone in need of them.
Church leaders say forming relationships is key to helping people access the services they need. Pastor Kurt Boggan said many people who have been homeless need someone to listen to them and show them compassion.
"Sometimes listening to someone is the greatest gift you can give them," Boggan said. "We don't tell them what they need to be doing or how to get their lives going. We just truly listen to where they are. We don't judge. We're just with them as a neighbor."
He said Canvas is hopefully becoming a "one-stop place" for a variety of homeless aid services. The ARcare medical clinic sets up shop outside Canvas from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday to offer physical and psychological health screenings for people who are homeless. Those who need prescription medications can pick them up from ARcare at 5 p.m. in the same place on the same day.
Mental health care is one of the biggest needs among homeless and low-income residents, said Melissa Bowen, a Canvas associate pastor and an occupational therapist.
"Navigating health care in general, getting access to services, getting their prescriptions, transportation to and from [a clinic], all that follow-up and understanding what the doctor said to them -- all of those things are really difficult for a lot of the people that we see here," Bowen said.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has provided flu shots, podiatry exams and health education at Canvas, Atkins said. Additionally, the church was able to provide some people with health insurance in 2013 when Arkansas expanded Medicaid.
Arkansas Women's Outreach, a nonprofit dedicated to providing feminine hygiene products to homeless women, spawned from Canvas' homeless outreach efforts, Atkins said.
Canvas also works with the Jericho Way and Our House homeless shelters to help connect people with permanent housing.
Paul Dwayne, an attendee on Wednesday who requested that only his first and middle names be used to identify him, said he will be moving into an apartment in Little Rock no later than Oct. 1.
He said Canvas provided him a great deal of aid, both after he was incarcerated and after a motorcycle accident left him seriously injured. He credited the life skills, mental health and anger management classes with helping him get back on his feet.
"If you're willing to put in the work yourself, then they're willing to go the extra mile to help you," he said.
Atkins said he keeps in touch, either in person or in writing, with people who become incarcerated, in order to keep up the relationship between them and Canvas so they will have a support system when they are released.
Bowen said the ongoing pandemic has made it more difficult to connect with people who are homeless, since it can already be a challenge to do so, but Canvas takes pride in the strength of its relationships with this population.
"We try not to be top-down, like 'I'm giving this to you,' but to walk alongside them and be their friend," Bowen said.
Jamie Collins has attended Dinner and a Movie a couple of times a month for almost three years, he said, and he seeks medical help from Canvas. His asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease make it difficult for him to get a job, especially during the pandemic, he said.
He called Canvas the most reliable place in the city for homeless aid, especially because it is frequently open and provides a wide variety of services.
"If I had my pick of any place to go, I'd come here," Collins said.
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'Dinner and a Movie' keeps homeless coming back to Little Rock church - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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