Until now, the closest LGBTQ-affirming shelter bed for a 16-year-old fleeing an unsafe home in Houston was in Austin, 150 miles away. Grace Place and the Montrose Center unveiled Asia’s House, a six-bedroom emergency shelter that provides Greater Houston youth with a place to go.
Asia’s House is named after Asia Jynaé Foster, a young transgender Houstonian and member of the Grace Place community who was murdered in 2020. She had called for exactly this kind of support.
“Asia told us what young people here needed, and she was right. Building this in her name means the young person who walks through our door at 16 doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone to be safe tonight,” said Courtney Sellers, Executive Director of Grace Place. “We are not asking for permission slips. We are asking them what they need.”
How the program works
- Ages 15–17 in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties, open to all sexualities and gender identities
- Referrals through street outreach, school partnerships, and a 24-hour hotline
- Entry is voluntary
- Safe and stable long-term housing placement the goal
- Staff contact a parent or guardian within 72 hours; the youth’s safety governs any return home
- On-site: case management, counseling, life skills training, tutoring and employment support, plus behavioral health care and substance use treatment available through the Montrose Center
- Funded in part through a grant from the federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, administered by Grace Place
A partnership years in the making
Grace Place has served unhoused LGBTQ+ young people in Houston since 2010 but has never operated a dedicated shelter until now. The Montrose Center, which provides housing services for young adults ages 18-24, contributed startup funding for the lease and staffing and advises Grace Place leadership as the organization nearly doubles in size.
“We are proud to partner with Grace Place to support the launch of Asia’s House, which fills a significant gap in Houston’s housing landscape,” said Avery Belyeu, CEO of the Montrose Center. “This was a natural fit: two organizations in the same ecosystem collaborating to ensure LGBTQ+ youth have a safe, affirming place to call home.”
About Grace Place
Grace Place is a Houston nonprofit that provides safety, community, and support to young people of all sexualities and genders who are experiencing homelessness. Learn more at https://www.montrosegraceplace.org.
About the Montrose Center
Founded in 1978, the Montrose Center is Greater Houston’s leading LGBTQ+ service organization, empowering the community to live healthier, more fulfilling lives through a wide range of social services, programs, and resources. Learn more at https://www.montrosecenter.org.
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