Starting next month, young NYC LGBTQ adults between the ages of 21 and 30 who are homeless will now have a safe place to stay as the city gears up to open an 80 bed shelter in the Bathgate area of The Bronx.
It will be the first of its kind in New York City to deal with this extremely vulnerable segment of the homeless population which according to some studies, roughly 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ.
Many people may question why should there be a separate facility for the group but the painful reality is that they face many dangers and violence within a traditional shelter—a situation especially dangerous for transgender youth.
According to the Daily News, the shelter will be administered by Project Renewal who will provide medical services including a psychiatrist and HIV care.
Up to this point, New York City only provided such facilities up to the age of 24.
An exact date hasn’t been announced but the 80 bed facility is slated for opening next month.
A big thanks to Councilman Ritchie Torres, The Bronx’s first openly gay Council member for making this happen.
