My name is Ashley Thomas (she/her), Youth Housing Services Manager at The Center, and I am so proud to announce the grand opening of our new location for Safe STAY Wellness Center, an LGBTQ-affirming shelter that now offers 43 emergency beds for transitional-age youth (ages 18–24) experiencing homelessness in San Diego! This expansion doubles our previous capacity of 21 beds and marks a historic moment for LGBTQ+ youth across our region.

Safe STAY began in 2019 as just four beds at our Sunburst Youth Housing Project and it has now grown into one of the largest LGBTQ-affirming youth emergency housing programs in the country. But Safe STAY is not just a shelter—it’s a critical lifeline. Here, youth not only sleep safely at night, but also access The Center’s network of wraparound services, including mental health support, educational and financial assistance, peer support groups, and connection to permanent housing.

Unlike many other shelters, Safe STAY allows youth to remain onsite during the day, with access to laundry, showers, and meals, reducing the stress and instability that so often come with being unhoused. Vulnerable youth arrive at Safe STAY in survival mode, struggling to meet basic needs, and they are met with affirming staff, an accepting environment, and the full spectrum of The Center’s services, giving them the stability and care they need to finally thrive and live fully.

This incredible milestone is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together—with compassion, vision, and a belief in the dignity of every LGBTQ+ young person. At a time when LGBTQ+ youth—especially transgender and nonbinary youth—are being targeted by political attacks and discriminatory federal actions, The Center is proud to commit to advocacy and creating spaces of safety and care.

This achievement was only possible thanks to the power of community collaboration. We are deeply grateful to our partners at YMCA Youth and Family Services, San Diego Youth Services, and the San Diego Housing Commission. We honor the dedicated staff at The Center who brought this vision to life, including Beth Davenport (she/her), our Chief Operating Officer, and Victor Esquivel (he/him), our Senior Director of Housing Services, who developed this program into what it is now. And we are profoundly thankful to our corporate and community donors, whose generosity provided the critical funds needed six years ago to create our four-bed shelter and whose continued support has allowed us to turn this dream into a fully realized program.

In this moment—when LGBTQ+ lives are being debated, restricted, and erased—we at The Center are choosing to build, to protect, and to fight back with love, leadership, and action. Our new Safe STAY Wellness Center reminds us what it looks like when a community shows up for its most vulnerable members and rallies together in support. It is an inspiring call to keep going, and I hope you will continue to support The Center in creating spaces where LGBTQ+ people feel welcomed, valued, and supported.

In community,

Ashley Thomas (she/her)
Youth Housing Services Manager