Jazzie's Place, First Adult LGBTQ Shelter in U.S., Opens in San Francisco

Jazzie's Place, the first shelter in the country for the adult LGBTQ community, opened Wednesday morning in the Mission District.

Operated by Dolores Street Community Services, and funded by both the city and private donations, Jazzie's Place seeks to be a safe haven from the fear and violence that the city's LGBTQ homeless population routinely experiences.

The shelter, which has spaces for female identifying, male identifying and non-conforming guests, is also an homage to Jazzie Collins, a transgender activist and vice chair of San Francisco's LGBT Aging Policy Task Force who passed away in 2013, according to the Chronicle.

Jazzie's Place, at 1050 S. Van Ness St., has just 24 beds and is already operating a waitlist for them, but the mission to provide hope and a fresh start stretches beyond the physical space.

"The broader impact is really, in a very concrete way, demonstrating the need for LGBT-focused safety net services, and really bringing those needs out of the shadows and casting light on those in our community who are suffering," Brian Basinger, director of AIDS Housing Alliance/San Francisco, told Bay Area Reporter.

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