Pride Shelter Trust

Short-term residential accommodation for LGBTQI+ individuals in crisis; Africa's first and (historically) only formal LGBTQI+ crisis shelter **Who Pride Shelter serves:** Pride Shelter Trust provides short-term safe accommodation to people who have been evicted from their homes or have been regarded as social outcasts from their communities as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. This includes: - LGBTQI+ individuals evicted or made homeless because of their sexual orientation or gender identity - Survivors of **"corrective" rape** — one of South Africa's most horrific hate crimes, disproportionately targeting lesbian women - LGBTQI+ individuals who have experienced family or community violence, abuse, or rejection - LGBTQI+ individuals experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) within same-sex or queer relationships - LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers from other African countries where homosexuality is criminalised - Occasionally straight individuals in crisis who cannot access queer-affirming shelter elsewhere **Why Pride Shelter exists as a specialist service:** Mainstream shelters are frequently not queer-friendly or queer-safe — LGBTQI+ survivors in crisis have often experienced further discrimination or hostility when attempting to access mainstream DV or homelessness shelters. Pride Shelter was explicitly founded in response to LGBTQI+ homelessness and/or LGBTQI+ persons who had been exposed to abuse, as existing shelters were not queer friendly. **Services:** - 24-hour short-term residential shelter — safe, affirming, queer-friendly accommodation - Two meals a day for residents - Individual and group lay counselling - Psychosocial support and trauma containment - Referral to relevant support organisations and medical institutions (including hospitals, SAPS FCS, legal services) - Workshops and educational components — empowering residents for reintegration into society - Weekly LGBT Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting on Saturday mornings (9:30 — hosted at 1 Molteno Road) - Support for LGBTQI+ South African citizens AND legally confirmed refugees/asylum seekers