TL;DR
- NYC opens Ace’s Place, the first publicly funded shelter for transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the U.S.
- Located in Queens with 150 beds, the facility offers housing, counseling, and job training.
- Operated by Destination Tomorrow in partnership with NYC’s Department of Social Services.
- Includes culinary work-study, financial literacy workshops, and mental health support.
- Aimed at addressing systemic neglect and the high homelessness rates among trans people.
Queens Gets a Groundbreaking Safe Haven
New York City has officially cut the ribbon on a game-changing lifeline for transgender and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers facing homelessness. Ace’s Place, which opened this week in Queens, isn’t just a shelter — it’s a statement. This 150-bed facility is the first publicly funded shelter in the country dedicated specifically to trans and gender-nonconforming people, and it’s setting a new standard for how cities can show up for their most vulnerable communities.
A partnership between the NYC Department of Social Services and the Bronx-based LGBTQ nonprofit Destination Tomorrow, Ace’s Place is more than a place to crash for the night. Residents can tap into a full menu of support: individual and group counseling, help finding permanent housing, medical and mental health referrals, financial literacy workshops, and employment assistance. For those with a flair for food, there’s even a culinary arts work-study program designed to open doors in hospitality and food service.
“This is a community-driven answer to systemic neglect — and it’s only the beginning,” declared Sean Ebony Coleman, the powerhouse founder and CEO of Destination Tomorrow. City officials echoed the sentiment, with Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park calling the shelter “a safe place to heal and stabilize in trauma-informed settings, with staff deeply invested in their growth and wellbeing.”
Fighting Back Against the Statistics
The need for Ace’s Place couldn’t be clearer. Trans people in the U.S. face staggering rates of homelessness — often because of discrimination in the workplace. According to the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, nearly one in three trans respondents had experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Over 10% had been forced out of a job because of their gender identity or expression, and more than a third were living in poverty.
In New York City, most LGBTQ shelters cater exclusively to youth under 25, leaving a dangerous gap for adults. Ace’s Place is now one of only two facilities in the city offering housing for LGBTQ adults, giving older members of the community a shot at stability without forcing them back into unsafe or unsupportive environments.
For the LGBTQ community — and especially for trans and gender-nonconforming people — Ace’s Place is more than bricks and beds. It’s a public acknowledgment that trans lives matter, that their safety and dignity are worth funding, and that “housing first” policies can save lives.
By creating a publicly funded, permanent program, NYC is flipping the script on decades of systemic neglect. It signals that trans people have a right to resources without the strings, suspicion, or stigma that too often come with emergency shelter services. As Coleman put it, it’s a “hard-fought declaration” that trans and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers will no longer be pushed to the margins.
In an era when trans rights are under attack nationwide, Ace’s Place stands as a glittering counterpunch — proof that policy can be compassionate, inclusive, and unapologetically pro-LGBTQ. For those walking through its doors, it’s not just a place to sleep. It’s a place to dream again.