- A Place For Us, is hoping to bring a shelter to Lansing that is affirming to the LGBTQ+ Community.
- The conversations to bring the shelter to the city started in 2023.
- Watch video above for more.
It’s a a need for the LGBQT+ community, that Mercuri Rose said is close to their heart.
“I'm part of the LGBTQ community, I identify as queer,” Rose said.
After moving to Lansing in 2015 - Rose feels the city has lacked a welcoming place for un-housed LGBTQ+ individuals to stay.
Right now, most of the city's shelters are religious based, but as we've told you in the past -- they said they don't discriminate against anyone based on their sexual orientation or identity.
Thursday we reached out to the City's Rescue Mission who doubled down on that and said they've served more LGBQT+ people than any other local shelter in 2024.
“I could go to the Mission if I need a home, but will I truly be affirmed and welcomed?” Said Luna Brown.
That brings us to the group called "A Place for us”, and the effort to create an LGBTQ+ affirming shelter.
“It will be a self-identifying shelter,” Brown said. “We will have men's and women's rooms as well as and also a gender neutral room option.”
Brown started the group back in 2023 and over the past year, with the help of about 20 members, they've been coming up with ways to create that space.
Brown said the shelter will also come along with wrap around resources.
“We're going to have a case manager with resources that are specific to us,” Brown said.
With the help of the Salus Center, the group has applied for several grants to help fund the shelter. Optimistically speaking, they hope to have it up and running in 2026.
A Place for Us is looking for more people to get involved with the shelter project, and their next meeting is Jan.12. at 11 am at the Salus Center.
