Winrock ASPIRE

In May 2026, Winrock International concluded a grant-funded, multi-year technical assistance engagement with four rural communities in Jefferson and Phillips Counties. Local elected leaders and volunteers participated as a cohort, receiving specialized guidance in crisis communication, emergency readiness, community research, housing strategy, and community-facility design.

A coalition of architects from Kudzu Collective, NOB A+D, and Eckerson Architecture worked with local leaders and residents to identify community-owned properties and match those assets with locally expressed needs. Through surveys, workshops, walking tours, existing-conditions documentation, programming, and schematic design, the team created four distinct, right-sized concepts that give each community a practical foundation for pursuing funding and implementation.

In Altheimer, the team designed the ONEgeneration Community Center, transforming a vacant former senior center into a flexible gathering place for youth, elders, families, food access, recreation, and community programming.

In Elaine, the team designed ELAINEfresh, adapting a former municipal utility building into a community-scale grocery store providing fresh produce, meat, dairy, prepared foods, and everyday staples.

In Humphrey, the team designed CommUNITY Hall, reorganizing a former vocational building to restore the community event space while creating secure facilities for city administration, law enforcement, and emergency operations.

In Wabbaseka, the team designed an Emergency Operations Center, renovating and expanding the existing city administration building to support emergency personnel, equipment deployment, overnight accommodations, secure storage, and municipal operations.

Project team

• ClientWinrock International
• Design PartnerNOB A+D, Little Rock, Ark.
• Design PartnerEckerson Architecture, Helena, Ark.