UACCM Prism Alliance Invites Community to Tackle LGBTQ+ Homelessness

UACC Prism Alliance

The UACCM Prism Alliance is inviting its members and the UACCM community to participate in an event for Lucie’s Place, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter and resources to homeless LGBTQ+ young adults in central Arkansas.

The event, the grand opening of the Dogtown Barber Lounge in North Little Rock, will take place for walk-ins on Saturday, August 17, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Kristen Karetov, a drafting instructor at UACCM and a co-faculty advisor of Prism Alliance, thinks that the grand opening will be a good activity for the student organization. “Members of UACCM's Prism Alliance can go and enjoy a free haircut, stay for the party that will include a DJ,” she said, “and if they are able, donate to Lucie's Place. This is a way to support those who support them.”

Founded in 2012, Lucie’s Place—located in Little Rock—is the only LGBTQ+ shelter for youth in Arkansas and one of the few in the American south. Its services include job training and counseling to its members, while providing basic housing needs. 

After the fundraiser, students can enjoy food trucks that will be parked on site from local Arkansas establishments such as Loblolly Creamery and Delta Biscuit Co. 

Dogtown Barber Lounge is located at 715A Main Street in North Little Rock. Parking will be available next to the North Little Rock Police substation across the street. 

Karetov explains that the Prism Alliance aims to contribute to a culture of acceptance at UACCM. “The goal of the UACCM Prism Alliance on campus is to provide a safe, comfortable environment where members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as their allies can come to feel welcome and not be judged,” she said. “This group's goal is to make sure that no student at UACCM feels excluded, and that LGBTQ+ individuals have a safe and comfortable space to feel welcome, seen, and heard.”