Church network opens first LGBT homeless shelter
SAN DIEGO — Homeless people in the LGBT community have a new place to find shelter.
On Monday, the Interfaith Shelter Network opened its new Hillcrest (neighborhood) branch, the first with a specific focus on homeless people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
“There’s a very large population of LGBT people in Hillcrest who often times are uncomfortable approaching other branches,” said Abigail Shrestha, rotational shelter program manager for network.
Shrestha said all shelters in the countywide system are open to LGBT people, but the Hillcrest branch is the first to make the population a specific focus. The network serves people who are situationally homeless rather than chronically homeless, and about 55 percent of its clients leave for permanent housing.
The maximum stay in the network is 12 weeks, and Shrestha said the average stay is between five and eight weeks. Each branch worked with at least one outside agency that provides case managers who meet with clients in the shelter once a week, Shrestha said.
The Hillcrest branch has seven churches, and Shrestha said five more may be added soon. For now, there are enough churches to keep the branch open through September, when churches in other branches will open.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/homelessness/story/2019-07-03/church-provides-first-networks-first-lgbt-homeless-shelter
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