Queer Homelessness

June 3, 2010 2:32 PM

Resources for a now-homeless-after-coming-out lesbian living in Fayette County, Ohio?

A friend-of-a-friend just came out to her family and was disowned. Her church has also turned her away. It appears she has ties to the area that prevent her immediate relocation (school, etc), but is living out of her car at present.

I'm looking for state, community and non-profit crisis resources for gay homeless youth in Fayette County, Ohio. I'll wade through eligibility requirements, just need whatever suggestions you might have.

posted by greekphilosophy to society & culture (15 answers total)

I can't help you locally, unfortunately, but pease have your friend contact Youth Guardian Services. It's a huge organization of LGBT teens, run by LGBT teens and very young adults. They have a number of mailing lists, sorted by age and is a HUGE support system, both cyber-ly and on the ground. They may have a number of teens in that county of Ohio who may have resources I couldn't find by Google.

If your friend-of-a-friend can get to Columbus, there are many resources, including Kaleidescope Youth Center and Huckleberry House.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:42 PM on June 3, 2010

http://www.pridenet.com/oh_clergy.html might not be a bad starting point.

Toledo looks to be the closest city to that county, so maybe searching for some resource there would be a good start. It might be a bit of a drive, but it's a starting point.
posted by smallerdemon at 2:44 PM on June 3, 2010

Also:

Rainbow Area Youth - Toledo
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:45 PM on June 3, 2010

Toledo isn't very close to Fayette County. Dayton, Cincinatti, and Columbus are all closer.
posted by zsazsa at 2:47 PM on June 3, 2010

Is there a Metropolitan Community Church anywhere near her? I'd google, but I'm on my iphone.

Please tell her that someone in Florida is proud of her. I know that what she's going through is really crappy. But she will make it out of this, and she will find her way to the life she wants.
posted by bilabial at 2:53 PM on June 3, 2010

Yeah, Toledo resident here, Fayette county is kind of a little east of Dayton.
posted by pullayup at 2:57 PM on June 3, 2010

It looks like the closest major resources are going to be in Columbus or Dayton. I'm not familiar with Ohio, but this is such a shit situation no one should go through.
People have already covered Columbus, so here's what I could dig up on Dayton:

Dayton area resources:
Dayton LGBT Center Hotline [phone]
PFLAG Crisis Line 937-640-3333
Daybreak Runaway Shelter 937-461-1000 (seems to also have housing programs to transition older teens/young adults.)
posted by Weighted Companion Cube at 2:58 PM on June 3, 2010

Can your friend get to Columbus or Cincinnati via bus? I'm from Dayton, and while I only go home once a year, I have a feeling that bigger, more diverse cities might have more resources for your friend of a friend. The Kaleidoscope Youth Center in Columbus is particularly good, but she needs to be under 20.
posted by zoomorphic at 3:04 PM on June 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

You might check with the Quakers in Yellow Springs, though I'm not sure if they're still there what with Antioch closing, their meeting house was right on campus.
posted by pullayup at 3:04 PM on June 3, 2010

Sorry guys, was going by the map and Toledo looked closest for some reason. :)
posted by smallerdemon at 3:20 PM on June 3, 2010

How old? Young enough for foster care?
posted by availablelight at 3:22 PM on June 3, 2010

Old enough to have a car and be paying for school. Sorry for the sketchy friend-of-a-friend details. Will be back with more once I email these resources to my friends.
posted by greekphilosophy at 3:25 PM on June 3, 2010

Dayton PFLAG are good people; they may be able to point her to assistance.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 3:36 PM on June 3, 2010

If she can get to Dayton, she can probably call these folks: Faith UCC. They're an "Open and Affirming" (read: "We Love Gay People") United Church of Christ congregation. She can also try Orchard Hill in Chillicothe.
posted by KathrynT at 3:39 PM on June 3, 2010

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for but it might give her a place to stay temporarily.

http://www.fayetteworks.com/info/DirectoryOfCommunityServices.pdf

Fayette County Homeless shelter

740-333-7580

Emergency shelter is available for women and families who are homeless, including those that are homeless because of domestic violence. Supportive services include: assistance in looking for employment and permanent housing.
posted by stray thoughts at 5:22 PM on June 3, 2010