SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco Mayor London Breed celebrated the opening of the nation’s first housing program specifically aimed at helping transgender adults on Thursday.
Trans Home, located at 1033 Washington Street, will provide safe and supportive housing to 13 transgender and gender nonconforming adults annually.
“Housing affordability and homelessness continue to impact our most marginalized communities, including our trans community members, who are eighteen times more likely to experience homelessness,” Breed said. “Increasing housing production and ensuring equity across our City is my top priority, which is why I am so proud to open San Francisco’s first Trans Home on Washington Street. This new program will provide trans people with the safety and support they as they find a permanent home in San Francisco.”
Transgender and gender nonconforming people, who are 50 percent more likely to have experience homelessness at some point, will be able to stay up to one year, or longer if needed, as they work with the organization in finding permanent housing.
Eight residents have already started to move in, with an additional five to be added once the third floor of the building has been completed. Once finished the building will boast three stories, 13 bedrooms, three kitchens, a shared living space, case management and onsite resident advisers, as well as space for group therapy and workshops.
The city has provided $1.15 million over the next two years to St. James Infirmary and Larkin Street Youth Services who will manage Trans Home.
“St. James Infirmary is honored to be the leader in the Our Trans Home SF initiative partnering with Mayor Breed and the community to address the housing crisis that is having a devastating impact on trans people of color across the Bay Area,” said Toni Newman, Executive Director of St. James Infirmary. “As a Black trans-led nonprofit, we are hitting the ground running to provide housing to our community and lead the country in developing solutions for and by our community. We have no time to waste if we are going to address the root issues that are keeping our community in poverty and on the streets. We thank Mayor Breed and the Office of Transgender Initiatives for their support in resourcing our community so we flourish and thrive.”
An additional $2.3 million has also been approved for rental subsidies that will help 55 trans households.
An orientation will be provided at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29, in the Koret Auditorium of the San Francisco main public library, at 101 Larkin St where members of the trans and gender nonconforming community have learn about the program and enroll on-site.
