Humboldt Park-based LGBT and AIDS service organization Vida/SIDA has finalized plans to open its much-anticipated LGBTQ homeless youth shelter, El Rescate.
The shelter will become the Midwest's first LGBTQ youth shelter Saturday, March 3.
"Housing services for homeless youth in Chicago are extremely limited, and of the services that do exist, few are specifically designed for LGBTQ and HIV-positive youth," the organization said in an announcement. "El Rescate will provide housing and services that address the unique needs of these young people."
The shelter will house eight to 10 young people ages 18-24 and provide young people with social services like employment and education resources, skills training and case management.
Plans to open the shelter have been in the works for more than three years now. Vida/SIDA had announced the shelter project as a 2010 goal, but struggled through fundraising and red tape to make it happen.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for El Rescate is scheduled for March 3 at 12 p.m. at 2703 W. Division St.