Find help and understand the next step

State Resources

Describe your situation to find legal help, forms, procedures and source documents. Use the guided tools below or ask Scout to help you understand the results.

Resources, forms and procedures1428 entries · 210 indexed files · 67 report sections · 73 case-law and standards entries
Quick startChoose a topic, find next steps and search matching resources

Common needs

Choose from all 15 topics
Organizations, programs, courts and other resource categories
County contacts and service routes

Services across all 75 Arkansas counties

Find help in your county

Browse 1309 published contacts and service routes across 23 service areas.

Browse the county directory →

CPS & DCFS case resources: guidance and county routing →

Food assistance: pantry referrals, SNAP, WIC, school meals and senior nutrition →

Find Arkansas grants and funding: applicant eligibility, sponsors, advice and applications →

Find housing in Arkansas: shelter referrals, county apartment directories, vouchers and utility help →

Find legal assistance: civil aid, defense counsel, affordable lawyers and specialist help →

Starting a business: advisors, registration, taxes, permits and financing →

Returning home after prison or jail: practical help and county referrals →

Choose a county for its local and regional contacts. The preview below shows statewide and federal routes.

Preview: 6 routes

Benefits, food and cash assistanceStatewide route

Access Arkansas benefits portal

Apply for or manage available Arkansas public-assistance benefits.

Statewide or federal access route; local availability must be checked.

An application is not approval. Keep confirmations and read every request and decision notice. Statewide or federal navigation route; local availability is not established.

Source, date and limits

Service-directory information, not legal authority or a promise of eligibility, representation, funding or an open appointment. Confirm details with the provider.

Editorial source extraction; no professional legal review.

Source retrieved 2026-10-12 UTC. Retrieval date is not the source’s publication date or a confirmation of current availability.

Access Arkansas benefits portal · Source ↗

Source SHA-256: 567107713a4ab80be47e88e51767b54136fe8f47029d013c8b394c0a9d4fc108

Benefits, food and cash assistanceStatewide route

Arkansas DHS county offices

Locate county offices for public-assistance questions.

Statewide or federal access route; local availability must be checked.

Confirm current instructions, eligibility, jurisdiction and availability directly. Statewide or federal navigation route; local availability is not established.

Source, date and limits

Service-directory information, not legal authority or a promise of eligibility, representation, funding or an open appointment. Confirm details with the provider.

Editorial source extraction; no professional legal review.

Source retrieved 2026-10-12 UTC. Retrieval date is not the source’s publication date or a confirmation of current availability.

Arkansas DHS county offices · Source ↗

Source SHA-256: 11a46c40d6114956d54e9144dd8d42d54ea9aa04ac248c420c50852e64704cb6

Benefits, food and cash assistanceStatewide route

Arkansas DHS — community grant-funded services

Understand how community-action agencies provide household services supported by CSBG.

Funding or help type: Services through funded agencies

Applicant routes: Individuals and households; Nonprofits and institutions; Local governments and community projects

Intake: Program-specific; current acceptance and remaining funds require confirmation

Statewide or federal access route; local availability must be checked.

CSBG funds flow to eligible agencies. Households seek services from the appropriate provider; they do not become direct federal block-grant applicants. Program eligibility and available help require confirmation.

Source, date and limits

Service-directory information, not legal authority or a promise of eligibility, representation, funding or an open appointment. Confirm details with the provider.

Editorial funding navigation; no professional grant, financial or legal review.

Source retrieved 2026-10-12 UTC. Retrieval date is not the source’s publication date or a confirmation of current availability.

Arkansas DHS — community grant-funded services · Source ↗

Source SHA-256: 7179368ceec26b09ca20692469c4829f2ff444bc82d16bea514481443ad7dd41

Benefits, food and cash assistanceStatewide route

DHS appeals and hearings

Find DHS administrative appeal information.

Statewide or federal access route; local availability must be checked.

Read your program-specific notice for the appeal deadline, submission method and any continuation-of-benefits requirements. Statewide or federal navigation route; local availability is not established.

Source, date and limits

Service-directory information, not legal authority or a promise of eligibility, representation, funding or an open appointment. Confirm details with the provider.

Editorial source extraction; no professional legal review.

Source retrieved 2026-10-12 UTC. Retrieval date is not the source’s publication date or a confirmation of current availability.

DHS appeals and hearings · Source ↗

Source SHA-256: 0919d947ddcc5b2a83aa14503a66389b5b0c6378410d1790df5df5ec228ce511

Benefits, food and cash assistanceFederal route

Medicare official help

Official Medicare coverage, enrollment and appeal information; confirm deadlines in the actual notice.

Statewide or federal access route; local availability must be checked.

This is a navigation or referral route, not a verified local provider in each county.

Source, date and limits

Service-directory information, not legal authority or a promise of eligibility, representation, funding or an open appointment. Confirm details with the provider.

Editorial source extraction; no professional legal review.

Source retrieved 2026-10-12 UTC. Retrieval date is not the source’s publication date or a confirmation of current availability.

Medicare official help · Source ↗

Source SHA-256: 641032a4cd0999cb8719ac32f254d9679077b5f58dff919d5055143741d893b4

Benefits, food and cash assistanceFederal route

USA.gov benefits finder

Find government benefit programs and the agency responsible for applications; program rules and eligibility vary.

Statewide or federal access route; local availability must be checked.

This is a navigation or referral route, not a verified local provider in each county.

Source, date and limits

Service-directory information, not legal authority or a promise of eligibility, representation, funding or an open appointment. Confirm details with the provider.

Editorial source extraction; no professional legal review.

Source retrieved 2026-10-12 UTC. Retrieval date is not the source’s publication date or a confirmation of current availability.

USA.gov benefits finder · Source ↗

Source SHA-256: 10aebf448cf7d68231abebcac37514cc1c0b01db00653ba2d5a705a5bac96733

Published contact coverage is not a guarantee of local service, legal accuracy, appointment capacity, funding, eligibility or complete research. Sources are retained with retrieval dates and hashes. No professional legal review has been completed.

Try:

Browse Arkansas Code — all titles, chapters and subchapters (historical 2020 edition)

Explore guided recommendations on a separate page →

Showing 24 of 354 entries Open a resource to review its source and related information.

Searching for: family shelter homeless children nowhere sleep tonight emergency.

Emergency Resource Official Reviewed baseline
0 links

Homeless tonight or urgent basic needs

211
Hotline Official Reviewed baseline
0 links

Homeless tonight or urgent basic needs

211
Legal Reference & Guide Official Needs review
2 links

Division of Children & Family Services Internal Procedures

402-page current internal procedures manual. Policy/manual provisions are not automatically equivalent to statutes.

Agency Official Reviewed baseline
30 links

Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services

DHS division administering child abuse and neglect prevention, in-home services, foster care, substitute placement, adoption, and family preservation across Arkansas.

Child Abuse ReportingChild WelfareDCFS
Child Welfare and Protective Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 1–3
Research Section Needs live check
14 links

Housing Finance, Weatherization, and Homelessness Diversion

ADFA mortgages, down-payment programs, homeowner relief, weatherization, vouchers, shelters, and rapid rehousing.

HomelessnessHousingMortgage
Statewide Public Assistance and Human Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 6–7
Research Section Needs live check
9 links

Children's Advocacy Centers and Community Wraparound

Forensic interviews, medical evaluations, resource closets, youth support, 100 Families, Restore Hope, The CALL, and Project Zero.

BenefitsChild Advocacy CenterCommunity Support
Child Welfare and Protective Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 9–11
Program Needs live check
3 links

Emergency Solutions Grants Housing Assistance

HUD-funded rapid rehousing, shelter operations, street outreach, and short-term assistance delivered through local governments and nonprofit providers.

HomelessnessHousingRapid Rehousing
Statewide Public Assistance and Human Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 7
Program Reviewed baseline
4 links

The Station Youth Shelter

Low-barrier emergency youth shelter operated within Immerse Arkansas's transition-support system.

Foster YouthHomelessnessShelter
Child Welfare and Protective Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 7
Research Section Needs live check
12 links

Family Preservation and In-Home Services

SafeCare, Family Centered Treatment, Intensive In-Home Services, Team Decision Making, caseload changes, and prevention outcomes.

Child WelfareCourt FormsCourts
Child Welfare and Protective Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 4–5
Research Section Needs live check
6 links

Dependency-Neglect Definitions and Emergency Custody

Emergency holds, petitions, dependent-neglected definitions, neglect, parental unfitness, and substantial risk of serious harm.

Child WelfareCourtsDependency Neglect
Arkansas Child Welfare Jurisprudence: An Exhaustive Analysis of Child Protective Services Case Law · p. 2
Policy & Procedure Manual Needs review
1 links

Family Case Plans and concurrent permanency plans

DCFS develops, signs, distributes, files, and reviews the Family Case Plan, including concurrent planning for children in foster care.

Emergency Resource Official Reviewed baseline
0 links

Arrested or family member in custody

Legal Standard Needs live check
6 links

Arkansas 72-Hour Emergency Child-Custody Hold

Emergency administrative custody mechanism followed by a prompt petition and probable-cause review to determine whether the conditions requiring removal continue.

DeadlinesDependency NeglectEmergency Custody
Arkansas Child Welfare Jurisprudence: An Exhaustive Analysis of Child Protective Services Case Law · p. 2–4
Court Reference & Manual Needs live check
4 links 1 indexed file

Monthly Family Support Chart (July 2020)

Searchable indexed text and metadata for the Arkansas court reference & manual “Monthly Family Support Chart (July 2020).” The uploaded source database contains 1 record in PDF format. The original document file is not bundled, so verify the current version and any filing requirements with the responsible court or publisher.

Arkansas JudiciaryChild SupportCourt Forms
Arkansas Indexed Legal Documents Database
Program Needs live check
4 links

Family Centered Treatment

Intensive home-based family-preservation model for older children and adolescents experiencing behavioral disturbance, relational conflict, and emotional distress.

AdolescentsBehavioral HealthFamily Preservation
Child Welfare and Protective Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 4–5
Statute Needs live check
2 links 1 indexed file

Children's Product Safety Act of Arkansas

Arkansas Code provisions governing unsafe or recalled children's products, prohibited commercial use, notices, remanufacturing, enforcement, and civil remedies under the Children's Product Safety Act. The source database contains 1 indexed record in PDF format; the original file binary is not bundled, so confirm the current official version before relying on it.

Car SeatsChild SafetyCommercial Users
Arkansas Indexed Legal Documents Database
Court Case Needs review
3 links

2025 Ark. App. (CV-25-89) — Marlocia Mason v. Arkansas Department of Human Services and Minor Children

Opinion used pre-recodification statute because it governed the order.

Court Case Needs review
4 links

2026 Ark. App. (CV-25-621) — Jasmine Knotts v. Arkansas Department of Human Services and Minor Children

Opinion applied pre-recodification § 9-27-341 because that law controlled the order date.

Program Official Reviewed baseline
6 links

TEFRA Medicaid for Children with Disabilities

Medicaid pathway for children with severe disabilities who meet institutional level-of-care criteria, with eligibility focused on the child's own income and resources.

ChildrenDisabilityMedicaid
Statewide Public Assistance and Human Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 3–4
Legal Reference & Guide Official Needs review
1 links

Jasmine Knotts v. Arkansas Department of Human Services and Minor Children

Selected recent opinion; formal reporter citation and subsequent treatment need citator validation.

Legal Reference & Guide Official Needs review
1 links

Marlocia Mason v. Arkansas Department of Human Services and Minor Children

Selected recent opinion; formal reporter citation and subsequent treatment need citator validation.

Benefit Program Official Reviewed baseline
0 links

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Nutrition, formula, breastfeeding, and referral support for eligible pregnant or postpartum residents and children under five.

800-235-0002
Program Reviewed baseline
3 links

UAMS Team for Children at Risk

Specialized pediatric clinic at Arkansas Children's Hospital providing diagnostic consultation, forensic analysis, and expert testimony in complex physical-abuse and severe-neglect cases.

501-364-2680
Child AbuseForensic MedicinePediatrics
Child Welfare and Protective Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 9–10
Directory Reviewed baseline
5 links

Children's Advocacy Centers of Arkansas

Statewide network of accredited centers providing trauma-informed forensic interviews, medical examinations, victim advocacy, and therapy at no cost to victim families.

501-615-8633
Child Advocacy CenterCourt FormsForensic Interview
Child Welfare and Protective Services Infrastructure in Arkansas · p. 9–10

Database entries summarize source material and point toward next steps. External sites control their content. Verify current statutes, court rules, forms, eligibility, deadlines, personnel, and program availability with the responsible authority.

Understand my situation

Describe the issue, explore possible next steps, and identify questions and records to check.

Find courts, assistance and next steps

Use guided tools for court contacts, benefits, records requests, appeals and procedural questions.

Forms, documents and preparation

Search forms and source documents above. Prepare a PDF in the Legal Workbench, or use a draft builder below.

Forms and document preparation

Turn a tangled story into an organized draft.

Build timelines, records requests, demand letters, repair notices, declarations, and motion outlines. Your entries are processed for the download and are not saved by this website.

Check official Arkansas court forms first
1
Choose a documentPick the closest purpose
2
Add the factsUse dates and specifics
3
Review and exportRTF opens in Word
Court filing warning

A generated draft may not satisfy Arkansas rules, local rules, service requirements, notarization, filing fees, or deadlines. Use official forms when available.

Loading resource details…