About Us

Trinity Place Shelter Addresses an Urgent Need

Currently, it is estimated that there are over 10,000 homeless LGBTQ homeless youth (ages 15-21) in NYC. Ninety percent of these youth are Latino or African American. Some of the youth have been rejected by their families elsewhere and find their way to NYC, while many others are from NYC itself. The youth are at high risk of suicide, HIV/AIDS, abuse and violence. The youth are vulnerable and this is a critical time to intervene and support their exodus from chronic homelessness and worse.

Most safe shelters for these youth have a limit of 30 days and many do not allow youth over the age of 21. We recognize that 30 days is hardly enough time for a young person to gain the education and skills needed to find a job and housing, and those above the age of 21 are often underserved. This is particularly true for LGBTQ youth, many of whom have suffered abuse, and some of whom have had to turn to drugs and sex work to survive. For these reasons, we have chosen to open a transitional shelter where youth between the ages of 18-24 can stay as long as they are making progress toward their goals.