In a hot summer 8 years ago we opened the doors of Refuge LGBT+, our first family home, and We didn't stop there! In addition to Refuge LGBT+, we opened two other shelters: Refuge T*- A casa di Ornella and Refuge Co-Housing. Today, we have a Refuge LGBT+ Network with three homes.
Over the years, we have welcomed young victims of homophobic, lesbian, and transphobic discrimination, and we have listened to their often painful stories.
They arrived scared, angry, hurt, but they had the determination to be reborn.
To date we have acollected about 130 people, average age 18/20 years, coming from all over Italy and also from abroad; 40 have been included in training courses “on the job”, 44 have completed training courses and obtained their high school diploma e 106 they entered the world of work.
It's amazing to see how far they've come. Today they're independent people, with jobs they're passionate about and living the life they've always dreamed of.
But none of this would be possible without the volunteers, but also thanks to the institutions that have been close to us over the years such as Unar, Lazio Region, 8×1000 funds from the Buddhist Institute
As long as there's even one LGBT+ person in need, we'll be here. Because together, we can truly build a world where love always wins.
Heartfelt thanks again to all the people, institutions, and organizations that support us.
We work for a future where every LGBT+ person can live without fear, with dignity and love.
Marina Marini, Coordinator of the LGBT+ Refuge Network