The Refuge LGBT project was launched by the Red Cross of Rome and Gay Center, with support from the Lazio Region, the City of Rome and the Waldensian Church.
The project set out to open the first house of hospitality in Italy for young LGBTI victims of violence who suffer from discrimination and social exclusion. The Refuge LGBT is located in home in the city of Rome.
So what's provided?
The house is run by a qualified staff that provides free assistance to the guests. The goal is to integrate them, facilitate the reintegration, and provide psychological support.
It is important to help the guests in their normal course of daily life, in recovery, and in their relationships with their family. The house itself will offer the following help:
- Psychological support to overcome the discomfort and enjoy a peaceful family and social reintegration.
- Legal support to protect the rights of the person.
- Educational guidance to enhance and support integration into the school.
- Career advice to help guests find jobs or integrate into professional settings.
- Mediation with social services to facilitate the use and access to social services.
- Cultural mediation to support and enhance inclusion in society.
- Family mediation to improve the family relationships of the guest.
The house can host eight people between the ages of 18 and 26, with a maximum occupancy of 12 people in emergency situations.
Opening ceremony
The recent inauguration was attended by the president of the Lazio Region, Nicola Zingaretti, the spokesman for the Gay Center, Fabrizio Marrazzo, and the manager of the Italian Red Cross, Flavio Ronzi. Marrazzo said that by establishing a house like this, many young people will be given a new chance at life.
He explained that an initiative like this has been in existence for years in France, where there are 40 houses hosting up to 2,000 people every year.
Flavio Ronzi added that Refuge LGBT and shelters like it are needed in Rome, where young LGBTI people are vulnerable and need help to protect their rights.
