In late March, the stakeholders of the Phillip Rush Center, Atlanta's LGBT community center, announced a plan to expand its current space by some 1,700 square feet. In the two months since, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised, according to Georgia Equality's Jeff Graham.
“It's our second expansion and we hope that the community will continue to support us to ensure there is a safe, accessible LGBT space here in Atlanta,” Graham told GA Voice.
Georgia Equality and the Health Initiative are jointly responsible for the space where several local LGBTQ nonprofits are based.
There are no hard numbers indicating how many homeless LGBT youth are sleeping on the streets of Atlanta, but something needs to be done immediately to provide 24-hour emergency shelter, according to a group of local activists.
At a town hall forum at the Phillip Rush Center on Nov. 2, Rick Westbrook, a member of the local chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, announced the Sisters have set up a 24-hour hotline for LGBT youth to call when they are seeking shelter.
A “Saint Lost and Found” fund has also been set up by the Sisters to raise funds to pay for rooms at a hotel where teens can get off the streets.
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