FORT SMITH, Ark — Jessi's House in Fort Smith is the only LGBTQ+ youth housing center in the state of Arkansas. But now, that's about to change.
"Seeing the difference that it makes just to create a safe place for a young person, the difference in their attitude or how they attain a sense of purpose is a beautiful process," Samantha Holland, director of case management at Jessi's House, said.
Jessi's House is a home for LGBTQ+ young adults to help in their journey from crisis to stability.
"As a member of the LGBTQ plus community I've felt the pain that these residents have felt, I've experienced helplessness due to rejection," Holland added. "And what keeps me going is I want to be the person that I wish that I would have had when I was their age."
According to the Trevor Project, 28% of LGBTQ+ youth reported experiencing homelessness or housing instability at some point in their lives.
19-year-old Alex Raphael has lived at Jessi's House since April 2023 after getting kicked out from their home. They say they stayed at Christian homeless shelters for months but had trouble finding support there.
Raphael says Jessi's has helped bring so much stability to their life, they can finally focus on their graphic design studies at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith (UAFS) and acknowledge their mental health after years of trauma.
"They always let me call them whenever I have nightmares. They always soothe me. They always reassure me that I'm good enough. They're always there, even on their days off," Raphael said.
Raphael is one of ten residents at Jessi's, and Holland said more people in Fort Smith need help.
Jessi's House has been helping young adults in the LGBTQ+ community since 2021. The house is at full capacity with over a dozen applicants still looking for assistance.
Now, they've opened another home and a duplex in Fort Smith to house 27 more people looking for safety.
Raphael is one of the first people to move into the new homes.
Holland said these new locations are meant to be safe houses kept private from the public to protect LGBTQ+ members escaping domestic violence situations.
"I hope that we can make a dent in the LGBTQ homelessness crisis. And I know that we can't help everybody, you know, we can't save everybody. But at the end of the day, I think I would feel fulfilled if I just saw one person graduate, which we did.
Holland said at the end of the resident's year and a half long stay, they've learned valuable life skills like how to do your taxes, write a check, drive a car, and even scramble eggs.
"I just want to see as many LGBTQ youth who come in here and feel like they are nothing and like they can't be successful to look around and see that people like them are successful," Holland said.
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