NONPROFIT
By Tricia Moore | Photo courtesy of Restoring Hope Medical Clinic and 7hills
Beyond the Shelter: How Expert Partnerships are Changing Lives at 7hills
The path from the street to a stable home is sometimes blocked by a complex web of medical and mental health crises, dental emergencies and administrative barriers that can feel impossible to climb alone. Recognizing these gaps, two Northwest Arkansas nonprofits, 7hills Homeless Center and Restoring Hope Medical Clinic, have forged a partnership designed to dismantle these obstacles at their root.
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The partnership’s leaders include Kristina Andazola and Noah Collins, both of whom use their own lived experience to bridge the gap between lost dignity and having hope. Their collaboration is redefining holistic recovery while helping clients work their way out of poverty and homelessness.
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Andazola, development director of 7hills, first came to the organization 15 years ago, not as an employee but as a client in the organization’s job readiness program. This lived experience is the heartbeat of her work; it allows clients to see a path forward because the person helping them has walked in their shoes.
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Andazola emphasized that 7hills is committed to partnering with local experts, other nonprofits and community groups to ensure the people they serve receive the specialized care they deserve. This philosophy was clear in the new partnership with Restoring Hope, which started on-site at 7hills’ main campus in fall 2025.
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Restoring Hope is a student-led nonprofit initiative, with physician oversight, that involves medical students from the University of Arkansas system. It provides on-site free medical and dental health care to the unhoused population in Northwest Arkansas.
Collins, a third-year medical student, started to think about a broader partnership for the local unhoused population when he was working with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ mobile clinics. These mobile clinics serve as “pop-up” clinics that rotate through church and business parking lots to reach residents without reliable transportation. They move frequently, and Noah realized many unhoused patients coming to the mobile clinics needed more stable access and help navigating the health system for more consistent care. For many unhoused individuals, a visit to a doctor’s or a dentist’s office can feel unattainable.
Collins ran with his idea. He said he talked about it with someone at his gym who had a legal background and who helped him understand the process of setting up a nonprofit. It became a reality when 7hills offered free space on its property for Restoring Hope, creating an integration of housing and health care.
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By having Restoring Hope on 7hills property, the partnership removed some of the biggest barriers to care for the unhoused population — distance and navigating the health care system. The nonprofits help with acute medical needs but also partner further with other health providers if consistent medical care is needed for chronic conditions. They use their network and knowledge of services to close the gap.
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“It’s a work in progress for sure,” Collins said. “Every barrier they encounter is thought through to improve care.”
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Right now, volunteer dentists would be a welcome addition at the monthly clinics. “One of the most pronounced needs they are seeing with these patients is dental care,” he said.
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Collins said this clinical volunteer effort with medical students and local physicians, including Dr. Sheena CarlLee of UAMS and Dr. Michael Bolding of Washington Regional, is hitting its stride. For the volunteer medical students, having local doctors offer oversight and mentoring to the program is incredibly valuable.
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7hills operates two properties in Fayetteville. The day center on South School Street provides immediate needs such as medication and basic necessities. There, clients are evaluated for the main shelter on Huntsville Road, which Andazola notes “stays at maximum capacity at all times.”
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They get calls from all over Northwest Arkansas to help clients.
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The intake process is overseen by case managers. Once in the shelter, clients work through a structured 30-, 60- and 90-day plan focused on job opportunities and support for mental and physical health. The partnership with Restoring Hope is a key addition to help the success rate of this program.
When asked how the community can help strengthen this partnership, Andazola said financial contributions help keep the organizations running and providing for the needs of clients. She also encourages the local community to attend or donate during 7hills annual October fundraiser event, Chill with the Hills.
Collins’ response was more medically focused, reiterating the need for dentists — retired or active. But he also added anyone in the community can help by “donating whatever you have an abundance of.”