Trinity Haven is a non-profit organization that provides housing options and supportive services for LGBTQ+ young adults, including a long-term Transitional Living Program (TLP) which offers up to 24 months of housing, stabilization assistance, support services, independent living skills, case management, and care coordination for young adults in the state of Indiana; as well as a Collaborative Housing Program, which provides short-term housing when we have hosts available (up to 6 months) and intensive case management, and is limited to Indianapolis, Bloomington, Muncie and West Lafayette. Our Program Engagement Specialist assists with exploring permanent housing options for those exiting our TLP and CHP.
The goal of Trinity Haven is to intervene before young people experience chronic homelessness, and to help them pursue their education, maintain gainful employment, and develop the skills to thrive in the world independently.
The Collaborative Housing Program includes our original Host Homes Program, which is a short-term intervention for young adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability, who need up to 6 months of housing support and intensive case management. This could be for a young person in college who has nowhere to go when the dorms are closed (spring break, summer break, etc.) or for someone who needs some time to make decisions about permanent housing options with the support of our team. The program is based on the national model created by Point Source Youth. You can find out more here: Host Homes | Youth Homelessness interventions — Point Source Youth.
When we don’t have hosts available, we work with the young person and partner agencies to do everything we can to find them a safe place to stay while they work on their goals.
We are always recruiting hosts! Potential hosts will go through a volunteer orientation, an application and interview, and then training on how to serve as a host. The process also includes a background check and home visit. If you are interested in being a host, please email us here (volunteer@trinityhavenindy.org) and we’ll get the process started!
Once we build a portfolio of available hosts, young adults in need of short-term housing will be able to choose who they want to meet, interview and potentially live with. It is a youth-led process, and our staff will support both youth and hosts to help determine the best fit for everyone.
No. Trinity Haven will provide short- and long-term housing options, but we are not an emergency shelter or a drop-in center. All housing placements will be done by appointment and require an interview process.
What we know:
40% of youth experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ+ (source: HRC).
50% of LGBTQ+ youth who come out to their families receive a negative reaction; 25% are asked to leave their homes (source: True Colors Fund).
75-85% of LGBTQ+ youth without a place to stay have been forced out by their parents or are fleeing rejection or mistreatment at home. (source: True Colors Fund).
On January 24, 2018, the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP), conducted its point-in-time count. On that day alone—a day when temperatures fell below freezing—342 young people under the age of 24 were homeless in Indianapolis. It’s estimated that 136 of these young people (40 percent) would identify as LGBTQ. This number does not include youth who are couch surfing.
The residents. They engage in problem-solving, conflict resolution, communal and independent chores, and work together to keep the energy flowing. The Director of Programs, the Youth Engagement Specialist and the Community Building Specialist work directly with the residents. We also have part time, hourly PRN (as needed) staff to offer additional support when needed. The Executive Director also works out of the house, and they are involved in several elements of the program as well.
Our goal is to help residents achieve independence. We can provide housing for young people for up to 24 months in the Transitional Living Program.
Trinity Haven’s evidence-based programming incorporates several different templates, including:
The Transitional Living Program (TLP) as defined by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (Transitional Living Program Fact Sheet | The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov)). TLPs are highly effective, with 88% of graduates moving on to successful independent living.
The 3/40 Blueprint (3/40 Blueprint Project: Reducing LGBTQ Youth Homelessness (340blueprintproject.com)), a compendium of research-based best practices for homes serving LGBTQ youth.
In addition, we will integrate practices gleaned from similar successful projects in other cities as well as other homes for adolescents in Indianapolis.
Trinity Episcopal Church, an affirming and welcoming parish, served as the incubator for Trinity Haven until we received our own 501(c)3 status on November 14, 2018. Trinity Episcopal Church is an experienced incubator of community services and non-profit organizations. Any young person who wishes to attend Trinity Episcopal Church’s services will be warmly welcomed. However, there are no religious requirements for residents of Trinity Haven.
The property is monitored with security cameras and an alarm system.
Young people in the program are committed to an environment that is free of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol.
Trinity Haven has house rules that are based on best practices of similar residential facilities, and they are co-created with the residents.
The house is in the pleasant residential neighborhood of Mapleton-Fall Creek and within easy walking distance of the IndyGo Red Line.
Maybe—it is their home. However, Trinity Haven residents will spend the weekdays in the same way most young people do—at school or, in some circumstances, at work. They will be engaged in after-school and weekend activities, including tutoring and various programming.
Policies draw on evidence-based best practices of successful homes. The consequences will vary according to the rule that is broken. The most serious consequences include probation and expulsion from the program.
Our vision is that every LGBTQ+ young person in Indiana has safe, welcoming, and affirming housing within a caring community.
Trinity Haven has always and will continue to provide safe, welcoming, affirming housing for LGBTQ+ youth/young adults (YYA) experiencing housing instability.
We didn’t. We shifted the age range to serve a larger population based on a need presented by data.
We have not housed anyone under 18 since we opened. Any minor who has applied, when invited into the process of speaking with their parents and DCS to obtain permission/approval, has declined, stating they would rather wait until they turn 18 than face that.
Between 1/1/22 – 12/31/23, 23 young people ages 22-24 have contacted us wanting to apply to the TLP. We have had to tell them no and refer them to YouthLink and the larger YYA housing pool, where it can take months to get pulled for housing options.
Yes, primarily through support and referrals to other housing programs specifically for minors (DCS licensed facilities, Stopover, and VOICES). We could potentially house a 17-year-old in a host home, if they turn 18 within the 6-months they are placed in the program, so that they can sign a lease when they exit the program.
It doesn’t impact anyone currently in the program and the need for this older age group is significant.
Yes, in Indianapolis, the list includes the following:
Adult & Child (short-term rent assistance to YYA 18-24)
https://adultandchild.org
Damien Center (short-term rent assistance to YYA 18-24)
https://damien.org/services/housing
Outreach, Inc. (YouthLink programs links YYA to resources)
https://www.outreachindiana.org/housing
Project Prism (short-term rent assistance to YYA 18-24)
For additional information, call 317-957-2275 and ask for Angi Blakey
Pando (non-time limited housing and support to YYA 18-24)
https://www.lutheranfamily.org/what-we-do/community-based-programs/pando-aspen-grove-of-community-heights.html
Stopover (transitional housing to rapid rehousing, which is short-term rent assistance for YYA age 18-24; and transitional housing for YYA
ages 16-18)
https://stopoverinc.org/transitional-living-rapid-rehousing-program/
91 Place (transitional housing for YYA ages 18-24)
https://91place.org/housing/
VOICES Corps (The Blossom House (Emergency Shelter Care) for youth ages 14-17 and Jake’s Place (Transitional Living Units) for young adults ages 18-22) provides housing for system-impacted and unhoused youth in Marion County.
https://voicescorp.org
Thank you for supporting Trinity Haven! If you have additional questions, please contact us here.
Well, we think it’s great! The house has ten bedrooms and eight bathrooms, three refrigerators and two freezers, two washers and dryers, and a dining room table big enough for everyone to sit down to a meal together (if you want to). Ten young people live together, but everyone has their own bedroom. The staff also work there, so you’ll see them there Monday-Friday, and sometimes on the weekends.
Trinity Haven provides shared housing to you in the home that we own for up to two years. During that time, you get to focus on your education, employment, stability and independence. Learning how to adult is hard, and we’re here to walk on that journey with you, hold you accountable to the things you want to accomplish, and help you find housing you can afford when you’re ready to leave.
Yes. Everyone at Trinity Haven has to have consistent income so they are able to move out and pay their bills. The only way to pay your bills is to have income, which means…getting a job. We even help you with a savings account if you’d like, so you can practice saving every month what you will likely have to pay in rent and utilities after you move out. But the only way to save money is to have money, which means…getting a job!
Yes! Visitors are allowed with 24-hour advance notice. All visitors must stay on the first floor or outside and you need to be with them while they are here. No overnight guests.
Trinity Haven has a no pets policy, but reasonable accommodations can be made for a service animal or emotional support animal with proof that you are financially capable of caring for your animal.
No. You can come and go as you please. You’re a young adult and we trust you to make decisions for yourself that will also not bring harm or chaos into the home.
For the most part, yes. All bedrooms are fully furnished with a twin bed, a nightstand, a desk, a dresser, and a closet, so you can’t bring any furniture as there just isn’t enough room. But you can bring pretty much everything else (clothes, shoes, personal items, tv, gaming systems, computer, etc.).
No. We have a strict no alcohol and no substances policy. However, if you are legally allowed to partake, then you may do so elsewhere. We simply ask if you are still under the influence when you get home, please go to your room and sleep it off. You are still responsible for your behavior when you are under the influence, and we don’t want anyone else to be triggered by choice to drink, etc.
We will typically do two interviews with you before making that decision. One is for us to get to you, and one is for you to get to know us. Trinity Haven might not have what you need, and we have to determine what is best for everyone who already lives in the house, too. So, it’s a bit of a process. But we promise to always get back with you within a day or two of your interview so you know what the decision is and what next steps are.
We’ll let you know once you are accepted into the program.
Partner Organizations
If your organization is interested in partnering with Trinity Haven