The Outside Project is the UK's first LGBTIQ+ Homeless/Crisis Shelter & Community Centre. It was created in response to the higher rate of domestic abuse, hate crime & homelessness amongst our community. It is led by sector professionals with lived experience of homelessness & the unique complex issues our community face.

We launched our fundraising at London Pride 2017. Due to the huge amount of support & volunteer applications we received we were able to buy a 12 bed, rock star tour bus & open the shelter from December - February 2017/18. The pilot was a success, demonstrating the need for this vital, 'identity responsive' service.

We support LGBTIQ+ people fleeing violence, abuse & sexual exploitation on the street, in winter shelters/mainstream services & in their homes. We support our guests to return home safely, find safe accommodation, return to work & link in with identity responsive services such as Galop & Stonewall Housing for specialist support around hate crime, abuse & housing.

The Community Centre will be a mix of cultural & artist hub, offering a safe daytime refuge & cafe space alongside queer led services, pop-up businesses & co-working space. We work with several other grassroots groups & many talented artists & performers across London.

'At the centre of our community are the most vulnerable members. We owe all of our current rights to the homeless, transgender & marginalised queers who stood up for us 49 years ago in the Stonewall Riots'

We also support sober spaces & workshops at events & festivals promoting healthy lifestyles & behaviours, do outreach on the 'scene' & in 'hard to reach' places & advocate for identity responsive support services across the sector.

We are an independent, grassroots project run by & for our marginalised community. We working in partnership with Stonewall Housing to deliver this project with support from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, & funding from his Rough Sleeping Innovation Fund.

We are currently identifying the most appropriate building for the centre & securing additional funding to ensure the long term future of the project.

For enquiries about regular, large or corporate donations please contact donate@lgbtiqoutside.org