Founded in October 2022 by Erin Shelton, Morgan Wood and Cassidy Thompson, Project Rainbow is a grassroots organization based in Monongalia County dedicated to providing support, resources and shelter to unhoused LGBTQ+ individuals in West Virginia. This goal has been furthered by the organization’s opening of West Virginia’s first LGBTQ+ emergency shelter, The Rainbow House.
During their work at a low-cost clinic, Shelton, Wood and Thompson met Ember Blackwater, the woman who would become the inspiration for Project Rainbow’s operations. After witnessing the obstacles and harassment Blackwater faced due to her gender identity while pursuing resources and using emergency shelters, Project Rainbow was formed to help LGBTQ+ people in similar situations. Now, Blackwater resides on the Project Rainbow board of directors and has contributed to the organization’s efforts to provide a safe resource for other members of the LGBTQ+ facing housing instability.
Through fundraisers, donations by local businesses and the overall support of the community, Project Rainbow is now ready to celebrate the official grand-opening of The Rainbow House, the mountain state’s first LGBTQ+ emergency shelter.
“To see the outpour of support and love from the community has been really affirming, not just for the members of the board but for all the queer unhoused people that come here,” said Thompson. “It just means a lot to all of us that the community wants us here.”
The Rainbow House is an emergency shelter for unsheltered LGBTQ+ individuals to receive support, compassion and safety regardless of their sexuality and gender identity. In order to further foster an environment of comfort and community, the shelter is set up like a home, with communal areas like a kitchen and dining room, as well as individual bedrooms with multiple beds. The shelter’s location will remain undisclosed to the public to maintain clients safety.
“This is a temporary emergency shelter, but it is also somewhere you can find comfort and love. A lot of the people that are going to come to us and have come to us already have not felt love and have felt rejection based on their sexuality and gender identity,” said Thompson. “So we want people to feel comfortable and loved as they are, and that includes making sure that the house feels like a home. We want them to know they have a home here with us.”
In a study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, it was found that people of sexual and gender minorities face housing instability at disproportional rates, with 17% of sexual minority adults reporting they experienced homelessness at any time in their life — more than twice the rate as a general population study.
Beyond offering temporary shelter, The Rainbow House provides a multitude of resources to help each client find long-term housing solutions, mental health support, gender-affirming care, employment assistance and more. Those in need of the shelter’s services can apply on Project Rainbow’s website — ProjectRainbowWV.com — and will be contacted by the organization’s intake committee to begin navigating solutions based on the client’s needs.
Volunteers receive training on trauma-informed care, de-escalation strategies, harm-reduction training, and Naloxone training, ensuring clients from all walks of life receive quality support. Those interested in volunteering for Project Rainbow can apply on the organization’s website.
To celebrate the grand opening of The Rainbow House, Project Rainbow will host a ceremony at 7 p.m. Wednesday at 123 Pleasant Street. It will include an all-ages event with live music, remarks from board members and sale of Project Rainbow merchandise. Tickets are $10 at the door or on 123 Pleasant Street’s website at 123pleasantstreet.com. Musical guests include Haley and The Hardway, Cam Thomas, Velvet Rutt and Soul Pantry.
For more information on Project Rainbow and The Rainbow House, or to donate to the organization’s efforts, visit ProjectRainbowWV.com or Facebook page at Facebook.com/ProjectRainbowWV/
“It’s been really beautiful having the validation and the affirmation from our community,” said Thompson. “Being able to build something up from the ground to serve a community that is not appropriately served in an emergency shelter setting has been really wonderful.”
