Compassions Foundation at Risk of Closing Its Doors After Over 15 Years of Service to Magnolia and Surrounding Communities

Magnolia, Arkansas – Compassions Foundation, Inc., a long-standing domestic violence and sexual assault shelter serving numerous counties, is facing permanent closure after losing more than $242,000 in federal funding.

The shelter was denied support from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant for 2025. VOCA has funded a major portion of Compassions Foundation’s operating budget since its founding more than 15 years ago. The loss of $242,373.47 eliminates funding that has historically paid the shelter’s rent, utilities, staff salaries, and core victim services. Without immediate community support to make up the shortfall, Compassions Foundation’s doors will close.

The impact reaches beyond Magnolia. Shelters in El Dorado, Camden, and Saline County were also denied VOCA funding this year. Only one shelter in the region will remain open with VOCA support, leaving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking with few options for safety and support.

“Our hearts are breaking,” said Compassions Foundation Executive Director Lacey Ogle. “We will always do everything we can to connect survivors to safety, but without Compassions, that safety may be hours away. Right now, a woman in Magnolia can pick up the phone and know she has a safe place minutes from home. Without us, she could be sent counties away, leaving behind her job, her children’s school, her support system. That distance alone will keep some survivors trapped in dangerous situations. That is what devastates me most.”

Services at Risk

If Compassions closes, the community will lose access to a wide range of free and confidential services that survivors depend on, including:

• A 24/7 crisis hotline and chat line

• Emergency shelter for survivors and their children

• Crisis intervention and safety planning

• Courtroom accompaniment for domestic violence and sexual assault hearings

• Legal assistance

• Housing assistance to locate safe, affordable options

• Employment assistance, including resume building and interview preparation

A Record of Impact

In 2024 alone, Compassions Foundation:

• Answered 137 crisis calls

• Served 306 clients

• Sheltered 150 survivors, many of them children

  
  

Each number represents a life saved, a family stabilized, or a future given hope.

A Call for Community Support

The organization is urgently appealing to the public for help. Donations of any size are being sought to replace the lost VOCA funding. Without those funds, the shelter will be forced to shut down.

Contributions may be made online at www.compassionsfoundation.com/donate or mailed to:

Compassions Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 1734 Magnolia, AR 71753

For those unable to donate financially, Compassions encourages the community to spread the word and participate in upcoming fundraisers. Sponsorships are also available.

For more than 15 years, Compassions Foundation has provided critical support to survivors in some of their darkest hours. Without swift action, Magnolia and its surrounding communities may soon lose one of their most essential safety nets.