Bonnie Wade, a longtime advocate for LGBTQ youth, will be at the helm of Chicago House's new transgender initiatives.
The organization announced that Wade has been hired as project manager of the TransLife Center, Chicago House's new Edgewater-based housing for transgender people.
"She's a rock star," said Stan Sloan, CEO of Chicago House. "We're thrilled."
Wade most recently served as associate director of UCAN's LGBTQ Host Home Project. She also previously worked at Teen Living Programs and Horizons Community Services (which later became Center on Halsted).
Wade will be working off a five-year annual grant for $300,000 from the Health Resources and Services Administration to study transgender women of color and retention in HIV care. According to Sloan, Wade will oversee a staff of five.
Chicago House previously announced that Lara Brooks, a senior staffer at Broadway Youth Center (BYC) had been hired to fill the position. Brooks, later announced that she would be staying on at BYC, however.
The TransLife Center will serve as both a nine-bedroom home for transgender individuals as well as a site for services including healthcare, drop-in programs and employment support.
Preparations on the TransLife Center are underway, said Sloan. The housing is expected to open early next year.