Home is not just a place, It’s a feeling.

Home is where you feel welcomed and safe. Home is your launchpad and your landing pad - the springboard from which you leap to pursue your dreams and the safe haven you return to when you need to take refuge. It is the one thing you can always count on. Home is not just where you live, it is where you belong.

Unfortunately, this feeling precludes many LGBTQ+ youth.

Queer young people are often rejected by their families, their schools, and their communities because of their identity. Facing prejudice in every corner of their world, LGBTQ youth end up with nowhere to turn to except the streets. The consequences of this rejection could not be more real: 40% of the youth homeless population identify as LGBTQ. This vast overrepresentation is exacerbated by the fact that many housing opportunities for young people are not LGBTQ+-inclusive, making it extremely hard for these resilient young people to find a safe and stable living environment that will allow them to thrive.

Together, we can make a difference.  

The Homeward Initiative was founded to address the dire lack of LGBTQ-inclusive youth housing in Philadelphia. Our mission is to empower LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness to move towards independence by providing them with safe and stable housing and a supportive community. In order to do so, we are starting a host homes program for LGBTQ youth, an community-based model that will place youth in the homes of vetted and caring adult volunteers. To learn more about the Initiative, click on one of the links below.