Admission Criteria
Welcome to the Pride Shelter!
The Pride Shelter was established to provide short-term accommodation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals experiencing a crisis.
Straight (heterosexual) people experiencing a crisis may also be accepted, provided that they accept and agree to abide by the shelter’s ethos of tolerance of age, gender, sexual, racial and religious diversity.
Who is eligible for admission to the shelter?
Any person aged 18 or older who is experiencing a genuine crisis is eligible for admission, with priority given to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), subject to the following:
How do we define a crisis?
We can only admit LGBTI (and sometimes heterosexual) people who are experiencing a genuine crisis in their lives.
Our working definition of a crisis is as follows:
A crisis is an individual’s response to an unexpected, sudden and significant event or situation, which, if not appropriately resolved, is likely to cause them further physical or psychological harm or expose them to danger. The individual is made vulnerable by being overwhelmed by the situation and experiences distress at a time when they may need to make significant decisions. A crisis is not a chronic situation, although it may stem from such. Being homeless is not necessarily a crisis.
Individuals who lie about their personal circumstances or invent a crisis in order to gain access to the shelter will be evicted immediately as soon as this abuse of our hospitality and care is uncovered.
Does homelessness constitute a crisis?
Given the problems of homelessness and the overwhelming numbers of South Africans who are homeless, we believe it does not in itself represent a crisis.
However, individuals who are suddenly rendered homeless because, for example, they have been kicked out of home by their parents for coming out as gay or lesbian, or evicted from rented accommodation for being a LGBTI person, or because they have broken up with their partners and find themselves on the streets with no immediate support mechanisms, would be regarded as people in crisis according to our definition.
Who decides if an individual is allowed to stay at the shelter?
The Matron assesses individuals when they arrive and decides if they can stay at the shelter based on their needs and the shelter’s admission criteria. If the Matron is in any doubt about a certain individual, she refers the case to the Board of Management.
Contact us
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our admission criteria. We are here to help you!
The Pride Shelter was established to provide short-term accommodation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals experiencing a crisis.
Straight (heterosexual) people experiencing a crisis may also be accepted, provided that they accept and agree to abide by the shelter’s ethos of tolerance of age, gender, sexual, racial and religious diversity.
Who is eligible for admission to the shelter?
Any person aged 18 or older who is experiencing a genuine crisis is eligible for admission, with priority given to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI), subject to the following:
- All new residents must read the Rules and Regulations.
- All new residents must sign a pledge form to indicate that they have read and understood the Rules and Regulations and agree to abide by them.
- The shelter does not provide medical care and we do not look after any medication. Residents must be capable of assuming responsibility for their own health and medication.
- Special dietary requirements cannot be catered for.
- All dorm rooms are upstairs. Residents must be able to climb stairs independently.
- Residents must be able to assume responsibility for their own personal hygiene and grooming.
- The shelter does not provide drug or alcohol-related rehabilitation. We reserve the right to deny anyone with an active addiction access to the shelter.
- No person with a sexual addiction or related problems will be admitted to the shelter.
- No person with mental illness will be admitted to the shelter.
- No person who is at a high risk of suicidal behaviour will be admitted to the shelter.
- No person with a history of aggressive or violent behaviour, or who poses any threat to others, will be admitted to the shelter.
- No person with untreated TB will be admitted to the shelter.
- Asylum seekers must be in possession of either a Section 23 Permit or a Section 22 Permit. Refugees must have a Section 24 Permit. Read more in the FAQs section.
How do we define a crisis?
We can only admit LGBTI (and sometimes heterosexual) people who are experiencing a genuine crisis in their lives.
Our working definition of a crisis is as follows:
A crisis is an individual’s response to an unexpected, sudden and significant event or situation, which, if not appropriately resolved, is likely to cause them further physical or psychological harm or expose them to danger. The individual is made vulnerable by being overwhelmed by the situation and experiences distress at a time when they may need to make significant decisions. A crisis is not a chronic situation, although it may stem from such. Being homeless is not necessarily a crisis.
Individuals who lie about their personal circumstances or invent a crisis in order to gain access to the shelter will be evicted immediately as soon as this abuse of our hospitality and care is uncovered.
Does homelessness constitute a crisis?
Given the problems of homelessness and the overwhelming numbers of South Africans who are homeless, we believe it does not in itself represent a crisis.
However, individuals who are suddenly rendered homeless because, for example, they have been kicked out of home by their parents for coming out as gay or lesbian, or evicted from rented accommodation for being a LGBTI person, or because they have broken up with their partners and find themselves on the streets with no immediate support mechanisms, would be regarded as people in crisis according to our definition.
Who decides if an individual is allowed to stay at the shelter?
The Matron assesses individuals when they arrive and decides if they can stay at the shelter based on their needs and the shelter’s admission criteria. If the Matron is in any doubt about a certain individual, she refers the case to the Board of Management.
Contact us
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our admission criteria. We are here to help you!
