BATHGATE — The Bronx's first homeless shelter for LGBTQ young adults will arrive next month.
The shelter, located in the borough's Bathgate neighborhood, will serve homeless LGBTQ people aged between ages 21 and 30 and will feature services including group counseling, an entitlement coordinator to assist with health benefits and documentation changes, education referrals and an on-site psychiatrist.
The shelter will also partner with Callen-Lorde Bronx for health care services, which will include treatment for HIV and transgender services, according to the Department of Homeless Services.
The nonprofit Project Renewal will run the site, which will have the capacity to house 80 people.
"Every person who comes through our door at this shelter, regardless of their sexual identity or gender, has the full opportunity to renew their life and reclaim hope for the future," Project Renewal President and CEO Mitchell Netburn said in a statement.
The shelter is located in Councilman Ritchie Torres' district, who stressed that members of the LGBTQ community often find themselves unsafe at shelters not meant specifically for them.
"If you’re a transgender young adult who’s been evicted from your home by your own parents, going into a single adult shelter could do more harm than good," he said in a statement.
"This shelter can be the refuge that stands between vulnerable LGBT youth and suicide.”
