Better Community Development: Rebuilding Lives and Restoring Communities

Like most community organizations in our state, Better Community Development started as a resource to address a key need for the central Arkansas community. In 1981, Reverend Robinson founded Black Community Developers, an outreach program built by the Theressa Hoover Memorial United Methodist Church, to address issues in the disadvantaged Midtown community in the 12^th Street corridor from University to Woodrow.

Despite having human capital, the church lacked financial resources to support its members, so Reverand Robinson established Black Community Developers as a nonprofit to secure resources for ministry programs and outreach.

In 2010, the board elected to change its name from Black Community Developers to Better Community Development (BCD) to better reflect its service to all people, not just the African American community it had initially served. BCD initially offered a daycare program and homeless program but evolved into a substance prevention and intervention program.

Because the individuals enrolled in the homeless program often suffered from addiction, BCD adapted its services to better meet the critical needs of the populations it served.

Pastor Deborah Bell, director of programs at BCD, has carried on Reverend Robinson’s legacy and helped build BCD into the community haven it is for many disadvantaged individuals in Arkansas.

The Expansion of SUD Prevention Services

“The State began to approach us to consider offering a residential treatment program for those we served,” Pastor Bell says. “So, we started off with the Hoover Treatment Center, which became certified with the State.”

BCD bought an old church building nearby and began transforming it into the Hoover Treatment Center. There was no fancy building like the one they have now; instead, BCD simply used what they had.

“That’s been one of the things we’ve always tried to do as an organization: use what we have,” Pastor Bell says. “We never wait until we get the dollars. We go ahead and do the work, and we are always blessed to continue to provide the services.”

Offering SUD prevention, treatment, and post-treatment care did not come without pushback. Local Arkansas churches and communities did not want to address substance abuse at all due to the stigma and shame surrounding substance use. After Reverand Robinson visited a church in San Francisco that offered programming for people suffering from substance use disorder (SUD), however, he came back to BCD galvanized and encouraged to build a place of purpose and empowerment for those in the community.

Support at Each Stage of an Individual’s Recovery Journey

BCD offers support programs for each step of an individual’s recovery journey, starting with treatment. BCD’s residential treatment program lasts for 30 days, but, as Pastor Bell says, there is no such thing as a specific timeframe for long-term treatment. Long-term treatment is unique to every person.

Those participating in the residential treatment program benefit from all of BCD's services, including therapy sessions with a licensed mental health professional, life skills development, and even routine checkups. BCD uses a faith-based curriculum to teach classes every Wednesday morning. Staff also stresses morning meditation and mindfulness sessions, which participants often like to lead themselves. Participants are also encouraged to attend Sunday church service, where they can spend time with their families and learn teachings from the Bible.

“We provide comprehensive care to our patients because you can’t just put a Band-Aid on substance use. It’s not a problem with one solution. There are many facets to it. If you were to say you had a headache and I put the Band-Aid on your thigh, that’s not helping your headache. So, we try to work holistically and comprehensively with people,” Pastor Bell says.

Those who complete the 30-day residential program are strongly encouraged to enter a nine-week outpatient program. During this phase, they have three meetings per week, individual sessions, and continued appointments with a mental health therapist. This provides them with structure in their life, even if they’re not living on the BCD campus.

After the intensive outpatient phase, a person enters the aftercare program, which does not have a set timeline. A person can stay in the aftercare program until they have their feet on the ground and have established a good foundation—a house, employment, insurance coverage, and a healthy lifestyle and mindset.

Building a Community of Love

Beyond the inpatient, outpatient, and aftercare programs, BCD provides transitional and supportive housing for residential treatment program participants. After completing the residential program, a person can move into one of 30 apartments in BCD’s Empowerment Village.

“The apartments are right here on campus where all of our other services are as it relates to SUD, so they’re near the counselors, mental health services, and other support staff so that if they have a trigger in the middle of the night, they can call and talk about it with on-site professionals,” Pastor Bell says. “This helps them get help when they experience the desire to use again.”

In addition to the 30 units in the Empowerment Village, there are two other facilities: Will’s House, which includes 14 efficiency rooms for men, and Beyond Shelter, which is a fourplex apartment for women.

Paster Bell believes that on-campus housing provides an opportunity for individuals to feel safe and cared for. “They don’t want to leave. They stay here because they have found family,” she says. “They didn’t know what family was. To them, it was always being abused or sharing a drink or drugs with their parents.”

“Some people have lived on campus for over five years. When they started living here, they did not have a vehicle or even a driver’s license. After living in the Empowerment Village, however, they feel empowered to get their driver’s license back again, purchase a car, get a job, and learn how to meet their basic needs.”

“It truly is a community of love,” Pastor Bell says. “It’s healthy living and it’s a better lifestyle than on the streets in the neighborhoods or communities they were previously living in.”

Relying on Partnerships to Offer Additional Support

BCD advocates for those it serves by relying on strong partnerships to help individuals return to society as productive, taxpaying, voting citizens.

“We work with partners who assist us with providing services we cannot provide in-house,” Pastor Bell says. “We have an agency that helps people find employment, we work with courts to help people deal with their court issues, and we even have a partner who provides home-buyer counseling classes to teach people how to save money to buy a home.”

Through local partnerships with Philander Smith College, Arkansas churches, and transportation agencies, BCD can refer participants to a trusted resource for food and transportation needs.

SUD affects a person’s ability to moderate their use of substances like drugs, alcohol, or medications. Many of those who suffer from SUDs also experience co-occurring mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. For these reasons, BCD focuses on health and wellness, including providing a Zumba class, HIV and hepatitis education courses, and trips to Pinnacle Mountain.

“We try to give them brand new experiences. A while back, we had a debriefing from our time on the mountain, and a couple of people said, ‘I just felt normal. I didn’t know what normal was.’ They felt so accomplished that they did something that normal people do,” Pastor Bell says.

Cultivating that feeling of normalcy is something Pastor Bell says she strives to instill in her staff and BCD program participants. Strong partnerships allow them to help with building empowerment and providing a full range of services for all Arkansans who need it.

“We’re not trying to be in competition with anybody. We just look to form great partnerships in the community. If there is a way we can share something with you and you can share something back, we appreciate that. We are always looking to connect with agencies and people who want to be a part of a movement that’s about hope, love, empowerment, and purpose,” she says.

Learn more about BCD’s programs and join in making a difference. Visit their website, call 501-663-7723, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or stop by in person at 3604 W 12^th St in Little Rock.

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