KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – As people in the LGBTQ community celebrate who they are this Pride Month, local organizations say they are also preparing for the backlash that comes with increased invisibility from those who don’t accept them. For some, rejection from loved ones could lead to homelessness and one organization is opening their doors.
“Sometimes the stories that we hear are really heartbreaking about what the young people have gone through before they get to us,” said Our Spot KC director of education and public relations James Moran.
According to research from the National Network for Youth, LGBTQ youth have a 120 percent higher risk of experiencing homelessness. In Kansas City, Lion House reports about 50 percent of homeless youth are part of the LGBTQ community, and families rejecting them happens often.
“Many of them don’t have positive relationships with their families of origin, but in the LGBTQ community, chosen family allows us to build our strength and strive and so we wanna be that for the people we serve,” said Moran.
Their Lion House program serves at least 60 adults, children, and families in the LGBTQ community. They offer short-term and long-term housing through their transitional and rapid re-housing programs along with the teaching of valuable skills that will make them an asset in the workplace.
“Folks in my life who have experienced hard times or experienced homelessness have been able to rely on their personal network of folks to be able to find the safe resources that they need to be able to thrive,” said Moran.
Through the program, volunteers will be able to be that resource for others.
“It’s really powerful to be able to lean into the celebration that we do have to be able to relate with my peers, loved ones, family members, to be able to call upon the strength that we’ve had all this time,” said Moran.
Our Spot KC is expanding its Lion House program by building nine cottages. They hope to secure funding by next year and begin construction as soon as possible.
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