MADISON, Wis. — The EverStrong Drop-in Center officially opened in Madison on July 19, 2024.
The center aims to help LGBTQ+ youth ages 17-and-a-half to 24 that are struggling with homelessness.
“People are still getting kicked out of their houses for their identity, gender identity and expression or sexual orientation,” said Damontae January.
January is the EverStrong program director. January said the drop-in center wants to help kids that are making the transition from living with their parents to living on their own.
“Maybe they had a part-time job, maybe a car, but a lot of times they did not have that stuff,” said January. “Some don’t know the process of getting a job or apartment and that leaves them really vulnerable to a lot of detrimental things that are out there in the community, whether that’s substance abuse or human trafficking.”
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, there were 18,455 students who were experiencing homelessness in the state during the 2022-23 school year.
At least 386 of the over 2,000 youth going in and out of home care identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, according to CourageMKE, an LGBTQ+ youth resource and advocacy organization.
TaMaya Travis is the bilingual system navigator for the drop-in center. She said when youth are lost and looking for help, that’s where her team comes in.
“As a system navigator, my job is to help our youth and young adults through the homeless services system or navigate becoming a young adult and moving from either living at home or foster care or the justice system into being an adult,” said Travis.
Travis struggled with homelessness when she was growing up. She said she understands how difficult it is to navigate the system and turn your life around.
“I know how lonely and terrifying it can be to be a young person on the street, not having anywhere to go, anyone to turn to,” said Travis. “When I get clients who tell me, ‘You make me feel safe, you really helped me out,’ it puts a smile on my face.”
January and Travis said if you are looking to get involved and give back, the drop-in center is always looking for donations and volunteers.
To find out how to get involved, you can follow this link.