Gay ‘safe house’ full and overflowing

A housing facility providing accommodation for members of the homosexual community in Jamaica is full.

It also has a long waiting list.

Glenroy Murray, executive director of Equality for All Foundation, said the facility provides shelter for homeless members of the LGBT community.

"It accommodates somewhere between 20 and 25 persons and it's full," Murray said.

"It's always full because of those realities (homelessness). So even when people move out, there are more people on at the waiting list," he added.

The privately-run facility was established by the Larry Chang Foundation. Murray said that another organisation, the Car-Trans Support Group, is "about to open another safe house for members of the community".

Murray said "help with homelessness" is "the number one thing the community reaches out to us for". He said the need to provide shelter for members of the community has been exacerbated by the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which displaced many persons in western Jamaica.