UA Little Rock graduate Mandy Davis had never worked with people experiencing homelessness before she took a job in 2015 as a social worker at Jericho Way Resource Center, which runs Little Rock’s only day resource center for the homeless. However, she quickly found ways to serve and has become an outspoken advocate for one of the city’s most at-risk populations.

“I was able to build rapport with clients and when they saw what I was able to do, word spread,” she recalled. “People started calling me and coming to see me.”

In 2017, she was promoted to director at Jericho Way and she now oversees a staff of seven people.

Davis has been named the “Arkansas Social Worker of the Year” by the Arkansas Chapter of National Association of Social Workers (NBASW-AR) and will be honored March 29 at an awards luncheon at the Marriott in Little Rock.

Johanna Thomas, who was Davis’ professor at UA Little Rock, nominated Davis for the honor.

“Her passion and drive were evident from the moment she entered the classroom,” Thomas said of Davis. “Her focus was often on social justice issues in her own community and state.”

As a student, Davis received the Bachelor of Social Work Student of the Year award from the NBASW-AR and served on the chapter’s board.

“Mandy epitomizes the values and ethics of the social work profession,” said Thomas, who is president-elect of NASW-AR and an associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas. “Her passion, drive, and advocacy on behalf of our unsheltered neighbors is not only inspiring, but is making a real difference in the lives of so many people.”

Jericho Way, which is run by the nonprofit DePaul USA, operates in six countries and in six U.S. cities: St. Louis, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Macon, Georgia, and now Little Rock.

About 130 people visit Little Rock’s day resource center at 3000 Springer Blvd. daily. The center provides the city’s homeless with meals, case management, relief from the elements, help with job searches, hygiene services such as laundry and showers, transportation, telephones, and a computer lab. There’s also a medical clinic and clothing closet on site, and the agency is building small affordable housing units that will be available to low-income residents.

Last year, the center served more than 49,000 meals, paid for countless shelter nights and much needed identity documents. They housed 62 individuals in 2018 with a more than 80 percent success rate.

“Her work at Jericho Way illustrates the monumental impact that a social worker is capable of making,” said Dr. Stephen Kapp, director of UA Little Rock’s School of Social Work. “The faculty, students, and alumni of the UALR School of Social Work are very proud of her accomplishments.”

Davis, who grew up in western North Carolina, moved to Little Rock in 2009. As a nontraditional student, she started taking classes at UA-Pulaski Technical College and received a full scholarship due to her high GPA and career choice. She then transferred to UA Little Rock to pursue a Bachelor of Social Work.

After graduating in 2012, she worked for a year as a medical eligibility specialist before returning to UA Little Rock to complete her graduate degree. After earning a Master of Social Work in 2015, David went to work at at Jericho Way.

“This job is a perfect fit,” she said. “My personal, professional, and organizational values all align. I think that’s why I’ve been successful. My employer gives me the space to create programs that meet actual needs and address emerging needs from the data. They truly listen to what’s going on at the ground level and help me implement programs or practices and hire to meet the needs.”

Last fall, Davis returned to UA Little Rock as a part-time instructor and taught field seminar for social work students. Students are required to have internships in their field before they graduate. Davis interned at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families when she was a student. The internship program is one of the strengths of UA Little Rock’s BSW program, she said.

UA Little Rock students have interned at Jericho Way, and Davis has even hired two of them – Kyle Francis, who completed the MSW program, and Kenya Ray who will complete the program in May 2019.

“Internships placements are vital, and I think that’s something UA Little Rock does really well,” she said. “You have to get out in the community and the field, in my opinion, while you’re a student. A lot of times you find out what you want to do or what you don’t want to do. It helps you figure out how you can best serve and which populations are best for you to serve.”

UA Little Rock graduate Mandy Davis, director of Jericho Way, has been named Arkansas Social Worker of the Year. Photo by Benjamin Krain