Shelter of Peace
Join Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in building a Shelter of Peace!
The Shelter of Peace Weekend of Prayer and Learning is coming up, on January 20th-22nd.
Every night when we lay down and pray for a shelter of peace:
1,600
LGBTQ youth in New York City are homeless
25% of LGBTQ youth
whose sexuality or gender identity becomes known to their families are kicked out of their homes
Less than 250 emergency shelter beds
exist for LGBTQ youth
What we’re doing about it:
Koleinu’s LGBT Rights Team initiative, Shelter of Peace, is building a coalition of faith leaders ready and willing to take action. Through building awareness among people of faith and committing our congregations to take concrete actions. Together we will demand adequate budgets this year from Albany and City Hall to ensure shelter for all 4,000 homeless LGBTQ youth.
CBST is a core member of the LGBT Campaign for Homeless Shelter. Join us in building faith support by committing your congregation to join Shelter of Peace:
1: Shelter of Peace
Weekend of Prayer and Learning
, January 20th-22nd.
Commit your congregation to by speaking at a service, sharing a prayer or leading a teaching to educate your community on youth homelessness in NYC. Your message will be part of a city-wide effort to create a Shelter of Peace
for homeless youth.
2: Weekly “Weather Report”. Every week in services congregations across the city will share the number of youth on our streets, along with the current temperature.
3: Shelter of Peace Action Network.
Participate in collective actions with congregations across NYC, including rallies, petitions, letter-writing campaigns and advocacy at City Hall and in Albany to ensure sufficient funding for LBGTQ Homeless Youth Shelter. Click here to see how you can help.
Shelter of Peace Project Updates
The Shelter of Peace Breakfast Briefing:
On Tuesday, November 8th, CBST hosted a Shelter of Peace Breakfast Briefing for religious leaders to learn more about LGBTQ youth homelessness. Speakers included Carl Siciliano, founder and Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center, New York City Councilman Lew Fidler, and Adrian St. Vincent and Jeremiah Wallace, Ali Forney Center Peer Educators and Residents who spoke about their experiences of being LGBTQ and homeless.
Calls to Action
Take action now to end youth homelessness. Learn what your congregation can do to help.
Community News
Many congregations across NYC have participated in actions to build awareness and fight LGBT youth homelessness.
