Intervention hostel for LGBT+ is open. It will help people in homelessness crisis

In May, the city hall announced the winner of a contest for running a 24/7 shelter and intervention centre for LGBT+ people. The contract was signed with Lambda Warszawa Association. "The Capital City of Warsaw is a place open to everyone. We want everyone to have equal rights and opportunities, feel good and, above all, to be safe," Deputy Mayor Aldona Machnowska-Góra said at the time.

On Wednesday, September 22, the deputy mayor announced that the hostel has been opened. "Thanks to a three-year subsidy from the Capital City of Warsaw, Lambda Warszawa Intervention Hostel for LGBTQI+ people in homelessness crisis in now open," she said in a Facebook post, adding that, in accordance with the agreement, the organisation devoted recent months to renovating and equipping of the facility.

Lambda Warszawa Association, in turn, informs that all non-heteronormative persons facing homelessness crisis, on the brink of homelessness, and interested in the hostel's offer are welcome to use the safe line at 22 628 52 22. The line is open from Monday to Friday between 18-21. It is used for registration and the hostel's admittance procedure.

The association will be running the hostel in the form of training apartments. "This is a place which many LGBT+ community members have been waiting for, especially people in homelessness crisis due to the discrimination they experienced. Coming to us on a regular basis, are people who, due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, experience exclusion or even violence in family homes, workplaces, and immediate environment. These people seek safe shelter and help in overcoming crisis situations they found themselves in," Lambda Warszawa explains.

Intervention apartments will be ready to host up to 10 people each. "We will provide them not only with safe shelter and food, but also adequate psychological, legal and social support - necessary for them to stand on their own two feet," she added.

To further support the hostel, an online fundraiser has been launched. "Intervention apartments are subsidised by the city, but in order to carry out the project, we need to ensure own contribution in the amount of 100,000 zlotys. Although it is our responsibility to take care of the apartments, we understand the project as a common cause, important for the whole LGBT+ community and allies. That's why we would like to ask You for support in providing help to non-heteronormative persons in homelessness crisis," Lambda Warszawa Association appeals.