Poland: save the shelter!

On February 2016, we were approached by the only homeless shelter for LGBT people in Eastern Europe, in Warsaw, Poland.

They were threatened with imminent closure and were facing the prospect of having to turn out vulnerable LGBT young people onto the street during the middle of the harsh Polish winter.

One of the shelter's residents, Tomek, was a teenager who had been humiliated and thrown out of home by his own mother, just because he was gay. But thanks to the shelter, he had found a new home and hope for the future.

The only LGBT shelter in Eastern Europe will shut down unless we help them. Chip in now: https://t.co/gSdfhxb28Z pic.twitter.com/fpNifE1ill

— All Out (@AllOut) 11 February 2016

We shared the stories of Tomek and other residents, and All Out members responded magnificently.

Our original objective was to raise enough money to keep the shelter open for a month, but we had underestimated our members' generosity. Donations were four times higher than the target!

Eastern Europe's only LGBT homeless shelter saved from closure - Gay Times

An LGBT shelter in Poland has avoided closure thanks to fundraising efforts by organization All Out. The Emergency Shelter in Warsaw, Poland helps homeless LGBT people who have suffered from violence and harassment, and is the only one of its kind in Eastern Europe. After months of looking for funding and running out of resources...

When we told the two amazing women who run the shelter how much All Out members had contributed, they were simply overjoyed. Together with our partners, we made this video to share the shelter's story with people all over the world:

Thanks to the amazing generosity of All Out members from all over the world, the shelter was able to stay open.

Feeling inspired? Join our ranks as an Equality Champion and help All Out continue to fight for love and equality.