Anonymous donor and local church provide land and $4.5 million to expand support for young adults experiencing crisis in Northwest Arkansas

Immerse Arkansas has secured a $4.5 million anonymous investment and a 99-year land lease from New Heights Church, marking a significant milestone in the nonprofit’s effort to build Northwest Arkansas' first short-term, preventative supportive housing facility and full campus designed for young adults ages 18 to 24 experiencing crises including homelessness and housing instability.

Over the course of one year, approximately 1,700 youth in Arkansas’ foster care system —  or 1 in 3 — are 14 or older. As they move into adulthood, many face significant barriers to stable housing, employment, education and mental health services. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, yet young people in the area often lack access to the support and resources they need to navigate this transition.

The investment and long-term partnership accelerate Immerse’s efforts to advance sustained housing solutions for transition-aged youth in Northwest Arkansas. Together, these commitments prepare Immerse to build a campus offering a short-term, preventative supportive housing facility, transitional housing and comprehensive support services designed to equip young adults with the tools, resources and relationships they need to thrive.

“We believe Immerse is uniquely positioned to address a critical need among vulnerable youth in Northwest Arkansas through its intentional investment in young people facing difficult circumstances,” said Jim Hall, co-directional leader at New Heights Church.

“At Immerse, we see an Arkansas where foster care is a launching pad, not a sticking point,” said Eric Gilmore, Immerse founder and CEO. “Our goal is to help Arkansas become the best state in the nation for a young person to be in foster care or age out of it.”

He added, “We’re deeply grateful to our donor and to New Heights for believing in our work and partnering with us to help youth from crisis in Northwest Arkansas move toward hope-filled futures.”

“Transitioning from foster care into adulthood is challenging, and investments like this provide critical support to ease the process,” said Tiffany Wright, deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services’ Division of Children and Family Services. “The generosity of this donor will go a long way toward helping youth in need attain stable housing and other services for years to come, and the Division of Children and Family Services is deeply appreciative.” 

Immerse’s Northwest Arkansas campus will provide a safe, stable environment where young adults can access therapy, relationship-based coaching, mentoring, life-skills training, employment support and other services aimed at helping them enter adulthood resilient and ready for life. 

Construction timelines and additional milestones will be announced as the project progresses.