Pride Shelter Trust

In 2011, members of the LGBTQI+ community in the Western Cape established The Pride Shelter Trust in Cape Town. The Western Cape’s first formal shelter attempt in providing short-term accommodation to the LGBTQI+ minority groups during crisis periods. In 2019, the aim has shifted. Our aim now is to strive to promote dignity, self- respect and a sense of personal empowerment among all members of the LGBTQI community. Although many existing shelters are affiliated to faith-based organisations who are frequently not queer-friendly, LGBTQI+ individuals placed in existing shelters had to endure secondary trauma, both by shelter staff and other residents. The Pride Shelter Trust remains an active anchor for the LGBTQI+ community across provinces and is a dependable source of support in to facilitate the recovery, support and integration of LGBTQI+ individuals into their respective society. Throughout the years, staff, counsellors and volunteers have aided South African citizens, as well as legally confirmed refugees or asylum seekers in our short-term residential facility. These programmes include the provision of relevant social support programmes that would drive change on the African continent. The Pride Shelter Trust has celebrated many successes over the years and supported hundreds of individuals in crisis. In 2013, 94% of our residents were successfully reintegrated within and reunited with their community.