Grandma’s House Children’s Advocacy Center in Mountain Home is inviting the community to an open house on Wednesday, October 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the facility, learn about the services it provides, and meet staff members. Refreshments will be served, and guests are asked to RSVP by calling 870-517-1681.
Located at 914 S. Main St., Grandma’s House serves as a resource for children across a seven-county area in northern Arkansas who have experienced physical or sexual abuse. The center provides a child-friendly space where young victims can share their stories during a single interview, rather than retelling their experiences multiple times at police stations or other facilities.
The nonprofit offers four core services under one roof: advocacy for children and families to help them navigate investigations, forensic interviews conducted in a neutral setting, medical examinations led by sexual assault nurse examiners, and trauma-focused therapy. Investigators observe interviews from a separate room via video, ensuring children do not need to recount their trauma repeatedly.
“We are not investigators, we have no legal power,” Kaleigh Soma, the center’s community development and education coordinator, explained during a previous interview. “We just do the big part of the kid work, specifically, since that’s our specialty.”
Grandma’s House was established in 2009 by Dr. Merlin Leach in Green Forest as part of the Merlin Foundation. Since then, the organization has expanded to include locations in Harrison, Berryville, Huntsville, and Mountain Home, employing a team of 18 professionals, among them nurses, therapists, and advocates.
The Mountain Home facility opened in early 2020 thanks to efforts by 14th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge and community advocate Joe Maxey. Before its launch, children from Baxter and Marion counties were required to travel to Harrison for services. Soma recalled Ethredge’s concern at the time: “David was like, ‘Hey, we have no prosecution for kid cases. I think it’s because the kids aren’t being seen the way that they should be.’”
The Mountain Home location now serves approximately 100 children annually, with Baxter and Marion counties accounting for a significant portion of the caseload. Across Grandma’s House’s entire service area, more than 80% of cases involve physical or sexual abuse. Therapy provided by the center employs trauma-focused cognitive behavioral techniques and can range from a few months to two years, depending on the needs of each child.
“The goal is always going to be family unification and keeping families together,” Soma noted, adding that—with appropriate safeguards in place—people can “change and grow and evolve.”
In addition to its daily operations, Grandma’s House raises funds through events like ragball tournaments and fun runs across Baxter, Boone, and Carroll counties. Donations are accepted online at grandmashousecac.com, via Venmo (@GRANDMASHOUSECAC), Cash App ($GHCAC), or by mail at 501 W. Stephenson Ave., Harrison, AR 72601.
For more details about Wednesday’s open house, Soma can be reached at ksoma@grandmashousecac.com or 870-517-1681.