JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —
40 percent of LGBTQ youth have considered suicide in the past year, according to the crisis intervention group the Trevor Project. That statistic is only complicated when those youth have no place to call home.
A new one-of-a-kind program on the First Coast aims to help them find emergency shelter, heal, and learn life skills.
Up to nine young people will live in a new 20,000-square-foot building. It opened this Monday, and the Youth Crisis Center is looking for young adults who need help starting over.
“House of Hope is an emergency shelter program for homeless young adults that are 18 to 24 inclusive of the LGBTQ population," said Kim Sirdevan, president and CEO of the Youth Crisis Center.
It's primarily a referral program through Jasymn, an organization that assists LGBTQ people on the First Coast.
Those at House of Hope will get emergency shelter for around 30 days, mental health counseling services, life skills training, career development, academic assistance, and help transitioning back into the community.
“It really is about talking with the individual to try and help them to be able to heal and to talk with their family members and not feel scared per say of coming out," Sirdevan said.
All nine people in the program will get their own bedroom and live in a gender-neutral space.
“How can you express yourself safely with your family so that you’re not continuing to live scared? That has to be very traumatizing for an individual. We really want folks to be safe and to feel safe and to find a safe space," Sirdevan said.
This program has been three years in the making and cost around $750,000 to launch.
You should contact Jasmyn or the Youth Crisis Center if you're interested in joining.