Lambda House project
The first emergency homeless shelter
by and for the LGBTQ+ community in Canada
*** PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PROJECT IS STILL ON THE WAY. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY SHELTER OR BEDS TO OFFER AT THIS CURRENT TIME. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING. ***
Project Summary
Maison Lambda aims to establish the first emergency shelter by and for the LGBTQ+ population in Canada. This initiative is possible thanks to the availability of suitable premises in the South-Center district (confidential address), historically on the fringes of the Village. The space has about thirty closed furnished rooms that will allow us to house our population in a degree of privacy necessary for the safety, well-being and growth of the trans and non-binary people who will be served. Maison Lambda is part of a trans-affirmative practice with a view of harm reduction. We anticipate that the accommodation resource will be open 24/7 and will offer 3 meals/day to shelter users. Creative activities will also be implemented to break the isolation experienced by this population in order to improve the formation of bonds of trust between users and the shelter intervention team.
Detailled Description
The Lambda House project is in line with the objectives of Jeunesse Lambda with regard to the visibility, representation and accessibility of LGBTQ+ inclusive resources and to counter the feeling of isolation that these people may experience. This promotes a more constructive vision of the future in terms of social reintegration and the prevention of cyclical homelessness. Maison Lambda seeks to make immediate support models and accommodation resources available in order to help reduce the risks associated with homelessness while increasing the sense of belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. The project fills a glaring need for initiatives to counter LGBTQ+ homelessness. While presenting a story of survival and societal integration, Maison Lambda would also offer a set of possibilities for integration into society resulting from the creativity and resilience of queer and trans people. This program would bring out the empowerment capacities of LGBTQ+ people despite the barriers they face there such as harassment, bullying, etc.
The resource will be located on the third floor of a building shared with several other community resources. We plan to hire about twenty community workers to carry out the project. Each person will be responsible for an aspect of the resource that will operate in an innovative division of labor perspective as developed in the work of Frédéric Laloux. We plan to offer meals three times a day in order to counter the financial precariousness that users face when buying groceries. Activities will also be offered to counter social isolation.
Maison Lambda is still under construction. Follow us on social media or contact us directly to keep up to date with the latest updates!