Admission Criteria

Welcome to The Pride Shelter!
The Pride Shelter is a short-term residential facility that strives to provide relevant and supportive psycho-social services within an affirming environment to LGBTI+ individuals who have experienced or continue to experience a crisis and/or trauma, especially in the context of homo/trans prejudice - which includes, stigma, discrimination, gender-based violence, xenophobia and sudden homelessness.

Who is eligible for admission to the shelter?
Any lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) person aged 18 or older who is experiencing a genuine crisis/trauma is eligible for admission, 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.
  • All new residents must sign a Non-Discrimination Pledge and agree to follow the organisational values and ethos of The Pride Shelter.
  • We 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.
  • We do not provide drug or alcohol-related rehabilitation. We reserve the right to deny anyone with an active addiction access to the centre.
  • No person with a sexual addiction or related problems will be admitted to the centre.
  • No person with severe mental illness, who is not on medication under the monitoring of a psychiatrist, will be admitted to the centre. We do not offer psychiatric evaluation services.
  • No person who is at a high risk of suicidal behaviour will be admitted to the centre.
  • No person with a history of aggressive or violent behaviour, or who poses any threat to others, will be admitted to the centre.
  • No person with untreated TB will be admitted to the centre.
  • 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+ people who are experiencing a genuine crisis/trauma 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.

We define a traumatic incident as follows:

An event that is usually outside the range of human experience and would be markedly distressing to most people. The person has witnessed or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened (or even imagined) death or serious injury to physical and/or emotional integrity of the self and/or others. 
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Individuals who lie about their personal circumstances or invent a crisis/trauma in order to gain access to the centre 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 chronically 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, or evicted from rented accommodation for being a LGBTI+ person, or because they have broken-up with their partner 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 Community Mental Health Coordinator, in consultation with the House Manager, assesses individuals when they arrive and decides if they can stay at the house based on their needs and the centre's admission criteria. If the Community Mental Health Coordinator and House Manager are in any doubt about a certain individual, the case is referred 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!