Safe Places, a Little Rock nonprofit whose chief executive was honored by Arkansas Business in 2010, abruptly closed its doors Thursday, according to a post on its Facebook page.
The organization, which offers crisis intervention services and works with children and adults who have been victims of abuse, cited an inability to raise money as reason for the closure of its office at 1609 Broadway St.
"Thanks to all of our Facebook friends who have expressed concern about our inability to continue to staff our services. Our victim advocates are so very professional and skilled, and have served our clients with with great compassion," Kathy Manis Findley said on the Safe Places Facebook page on Thursday.
"We appreciate your kind words and will do the best we can to restore services if we possibly can. Safe Places has a strong commitment to this community and to victims of sexual and family violence, child abuse, trafficking, and other violent crimes. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers."
Findley told Arkansas Business news partner Today’s THV that she’ll keep the nonprofit’s crisis hotline open and work as a volunteer to answer calls.
Arkansas Business readers nominated Safe Places and Findley for the newspaper’s Arkansas Business of the Year Awards in 2010. Findley won the award for Nonprofit Executive of the Year.
At the time, Findley said the group’s great accomplishment that year was keeping its doors open. In 2009, Safe Places saw revenue rise 12 percent to $400,000 compared with $358,000 in 2008. The organization served 1,500 clients that year.
Findley attributed the revenue rise to Safe Places receiving grants, "because individual donations were down, as they were for everyone."
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