When Hope residents think of Hope in Action, they think of the food pantry, the assistance with utility bills, the medical transportation, the bus tickets, and the shelter on U.S. Highway. 67.

But, there are also apartments on site at Hope in Action No. 1, in the 600 block of West Third Street. People who are in situations where they can pay rent and can maintain jobs and are coming up out of a bad situation can rent apartments there.

Many stories come out of those apartments, and James and Davonna Walker live there, and are a couple who have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. They have been to the brink and people have cared enough to snatch them back, just in the knick of time.
The Walkers have been married for five years, coming from Kansas to Hope, via Prescott. They are currently living at Hope in Action 1.

“I wanted to be closer to my mom, who lives in Prescott,” James said. “We moved to Hope, and finances began to go downhill, and we struggled.”
“I got into drugs real bad,” Davonna said. “I had a son, Wesley, on July 28, 2006, and he was born drug-positive. He was taken at the hospital by authorities and placed into relative’s custody.

“After the baby was born, I attempted rehab, but left early,” she said. “I came back to Hope and continued to do drugs. I became pregnant again with our second son, Anthony. I gave birth to him in rehab in Little Rock. James was trying to keep things stable in Hope. We had bought a house through Section 8, and he was trying to maintain the house and keep a job.”
Davonna went on to say that she completed rehab and was there for seven months.
“I came home after being gone so long and got overwhelmed about finances and started doing drugs again,” she said.

She was sentenced to prison for two years on July 22, 2008.
“I successfully completed their drug and alcohol program and got to know myself,” she said. “I worked through my problems that had been ongoing since childhood. I am continuing in therapy and I have a better self-esteem than I ever have. We attend church at Unity Baptist and God has blessed us with the opportunity to get our children back.
“I’ve been clean for 16 months and this is the longest I’ve ever been clean in my life,” Davonna said. “I appreciate life and I love God with my whole heart and I want to be somebody today.

“I am attending school at UACCH, majoring in Industrial Technology and I have gotten involved in the WIA program. I’m thankful that I have God in my life, that I’m clean and sober, and I am getting the opportunity to get my children back,” she said.
James remembers when Davonna was in prison and he tried to raise his youngest son, hold a job, and keep the house.

“I tried to maintain a job and tried to take care of Anthony at the same time,” he said. “I had to let my job go because I didn’t have day care and I had to let our house go back. I moved into Hope in Action in August, 2008. The baby went to live with my sister in Prescott because I had to have a job. I began working and in October, 2008, I got pulled over and got sent to Kansas on a warrant from a probation violation.

“I maintained a job at A & J Furniture and on June 23, 2009, the same day that Davonna got out of prison, I was stopped and got arrested again for a mistake on my address. I got sent back to Kansas, and when the mistake was realized, I was set free. Davonna and I got to see each other about two weeks later.

“The good Lord always makes a way for us,” he said. “I am also going to UACCH and working there. God is working everything out and we are both thankful. We also want to thank Hope in Action, Mae Dulaney, and Helen Bearden for all their help. God always sends good poeple to help us, no matter how bad we mess up. God is always there.”

Davonna agreed that, “....no matter what happens, no matter how bad things look, just keep your faith in God, because He will make a way when there seems to be no way.”