LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A first-of-its-kind shelter is one step closer to serving young adults in Little Rock who have found themselves without a permanent place to live.
On Tuesday morning, various city leaders gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony to recognize this milestone for the state.
The future shelter, called The Station, will house 15 people aged 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness. Immerse Arkansas as well as city and state leaders all said that it's a step in the right direction.
Soon, young adults will have a place where they can overcome hardships from their past and plan their futures. Immerse Arkansas Executive Director Eric Gilmore explained that it's going to be more than just a shelter.
"They're going to be surrounded by people who love them are going to have a therapist, they're gonna have a coach, they're gonna have their own bedroom, they're gonna have their own bathroom," Gilmore said.
Their goal is to set them up for success after they leave.
"We have taken young people to adult homeless shelters that do great work, but they're just not designed for young people. They've got swept up into chronic homelessness. And we've seen it happen year after year after year. We're not going to let that happen anymore," Gilmore described.
Stefan Specht joined the Immerse program when he was 19 and needed a safe place to call home. They moved him into an apartment because there were fewer shelters back then.
"It was a perfectly acceptable living arrangement. I just was terrified because I was alone for the first time in my life," Specht said.
He explained that this shelter will help give the young adults a sense of community, so they won't feel alone and he looks forward to working with the youth.
"If you can build trust with youth, you find one that you have an affinity for and has an affinity for you. It is a life-changing experience for both parties," he added.
Young adults that have aged out of foster care can also turn to The Station.
Mischa Martin at DHS is someone who works closely with foster children, and she said that in Arkansas nearly 200 young adults age out of foster each year.
"If they don't have a support system if they're in crisis. They can come here," Martin added.
According to Mayor Frank Scott Jr, every night the state has about 100 young adults living on the streets. He also said that they're working every day to try and reduce that number to zero.
According to Immerse, people can stay at The Station between 60 to 90 days but they can adjust the move-out date as needed.
They expect the shelter to be completed in spring 2024.