Where to go for a bed if you are under 25, or an LGBTQ+ adult.
If you are 14 to 24, start at a youth drop-in center: food, a shower and a case worker who can refer you to an emergency shelter for young people. The City's Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) funds these centers and shelters. From 25, you use the adult DHS shelter system, which has set-aside beds for LGBTQ+ and trans people.
Start here
- If you are 14 to 24, walk into a youth drop-in center for food, a shower and a case worker. Five sites are open 24/7.
- LGBTQ+ youth 16 to 24 can start at the Ali Forney Center, 307 West 38th Street. Beds are scarce, so do the intake early.
- LGBTQ+ adults 18 to 35 can ask about Marsha's House, a shelter in the Bronx. Space is limited.
Find the closest place that is open
Five of the eight sites are open 24/7: Ali Forney Center, The Door in the Bronx, SCO Family of Services, Rising Ground in Jamaica and Project Hospitality. New intakes are not taken at all hours.
Walk in
Young people 14 to 24 can come to DYCD drop-in centers with no appointment for food, clothing, a shower or laundry.
Ask for an intake and a case worker
At the Ali Forney Center you first do an intake, where staff record your situation and needs. Then you get your own case manager, who helps with services and can refer you to housing programs.
Ask about a bed
DYCD funds emergency shelters (crisis services programs) for ages 16 to 20, and Homeless Young Adult programs for ages 21 to 24. Stays are voluntary and short; the goal is to reunite young people with family or, if that is not possible, find another placement. The Ali Forney Center has emergency apartments for up to six months.
Plan for the wait
The Ali Forney Center lists a wait for emergency housing of about two weeks for ages 16 to 20 and up to six months for ages 21 to 24. While you wait, use a 24/7 drop-in center, Covenant House or the DHS shelters.
Look at longer programs
DYCD also funds longer-term Transitional Independent Living programs for ages 16 to 24. Ask your case worker whether one fits you.
If you are 25 or older
The youth programs go up to age 24. Go to the DHS intake site for your household and ask about beds for LGBTQ+ and trans adults.
DYCD drop-in centers for ages 14 to 24 (the phone lines are in English: without English, come in person, or call 311 and say "Russian")
| Part of NYC | Address | Phone | Hours listed by DYCD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Forney Center | Manhattan | 307 West 38th Street, New York, NY 10018 | (212) 206-0574 | 24/7 (new intakes at set hours) |
| The Door | Manhattan | 555 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013 | (646) 690-8986 | Mon-Fri 9 AM to 6 PM; Sat 10 AM to 6 PM |
| Safe Horizon Streetwork Harlem | Manhattan | 209 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027 | (212) 695-2220 | Mon, Tue, Thu-Sun 10 AM to 6 PM |
| The Door (Bronx) | Bronx | 2999 Third Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455 | (646) 230-1037 | 24/7 |
| SCO Family of Services | Brooklyn | 774 Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 | (718) 685-3850 | 24/7 |
| Rising Ground | Queens | 165-13 Jamaica Avenue, 2nd floor, Jamaica, NY 11432 | (718) 526-2400 ext. 2080 | 24/7 |
| Rising Ground (Far Rockaway site) | Queens | 1600 Central Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691 | (646) 518-1202 | Mon-Thu 12 PM to 8 PM; Fri 11 AM to 7 PM; Sat 12 PM to 8 PM |
| Project Hospitality | Staten Island | 27 Port Richmond Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10302 | (718) 876-4752 | 24/7 |
Ali Forney Center
Under 25Free
Helps homeless and at-risk LGBTQ+ youth ages 16 to 24. At the Midtown drop-in center (Ali's Place) you do an intake and get your own case manager. There are three meals a day, clothing, hygiene supplies, free HIV tests, primary care, therapy and psychiatry, and help with jobs and school. Emergency housing is apartments in Queens and Brooklyn with staff on site, for up to six months. DYCD lists the center as open 24/7; the center's own site gives new-intake hours and says it is closed to clients on Wednesdays from 2 to 4 PM. The phone line is in English. You can write to programsreferrals@aliforneycenter.org (the address DYCD lists), including a message put through a translation app. If you do not speak English and need help now, call 311 and say "Russian": a free interpreter joins, they help find a place in a shelter for ages 16 to 24, and transportation there can be arranged.
Covenant House New York
Under 25Free
A shelter and emergency services for young people 16 to 24, and a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth. It also serves pregnant and parenting youth; DYCD lists a place for a mother with a child. Walk in any time, with no appointment or referral. The phone line is in English: without English, come in person, or call 311 and say "Russian".
The Door
Under 25Free
A center for New Yorkers ages 12 to 24 where everything is free: health and mental health care, gender-affirming care for trans people, legal services, a food pantry, supportive housing and services for homeless youth. It has a drop-in center in Manhattan and a 24/7 one in the Bronx. The phone line is in English: without English, come in person, write to dropinservices@door.org (the address DYCD lists), or call 311 and say "Russian".
Safe Horizon Streetwork Project
Under 25Free
Short-term shelter and support for homeless youth, with no judgment: two drop-in centers with hot meals, showers, clothing and medical care, an overnight shelter, and outreach teams that go where young people gather. You can come in person. The phone line is in English: without English, come in person, write to sw-referrals@safehorizon.org (the address DYCD lists), or call 311 and say "Russian".
Hetrick-Martin Institute
Under 25Free
Free, affirming support for LGBTQIA+ young people ages 13 to 24: mental health care, case management and essentials. Its site has resource guides on health care, housing, sexual health and drop-in support.
Transitional Independent Living programs (DYCD)
Under 25Free
Longer-term residential programs for young people 16 to 24 without a home. A case worker at a drop-in center can tell you which one fits.
DYCD-funded emergency shelter: voluntary and short-term, aimed at reuniting young people with family or finding another placement (the phone lines are in English; without English, call 311 and say "Russian")
| Part of NYC | Who DYCD lists | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covenant House | Manhattan | Under 21; a mother with her child is welcome | (212) 613-0300 |
| Ali Forney Center | Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens | Ages 16 to 20, and ages 21 to 24 (Homeless Young Adult); contact the drop-in center | (212) 206-0574 |
| Safe Horizon Streetwork Harlem | Manhattan | Contact the program | (917) 507-1562 |
| The Bridge | Bronx | Female-identifying youth | (347) 275-2749 |
| Maya's Place | Bronx | Female-identifying youth | (718) 583-2380 |
| Rising Ground | Bronx | Male-identifying youth | (718) 414-1025 |
Marsha's House (Project Renewal)
Any statusFree
A Bronx shelter with 81 beds for LGBTQIA+ young adults ages 18 to 35. It opened in February 2017 as the City shelter system's first shelter for LGBTQIA+ people. Emergency shelter, mental health care, nursing care, group counseling and referrals to school and jobs. Ask your case manager for a referral; space is limited and not promised.
Gender-affirming beds in DHS shelters
Any statusFree
DHS policy lets single adults 18 and over choose a men's or women's shelter based on gender identity, and staff must not ask you to prove it with documents. DHS has set aside beds for transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary and intersex clients in men's and women's shelters in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens: smaller shared rooms near single-stall toilets and showers, or with private bathrooms. It is your choice: ask the intake staff or your case manager. DHS says no one is turned away from a gender-affirming bed because of the sex assigned at birth. You can call 311 or the DSS line at (718) 557-1399: on 311 say "Russian", on the DSS line choose Russian in the menu. The interpreter is free.
Department of Social Services (DSS) LGBTQI Affairs Office and the Office of the Ombudsman
Any statusFree
If you face harassment or discrimination in a shelter, email the DSS LGBTQI Affairs Office at lgbtqi@dss.nyc.gov or the Office of the Ombudsman at ombudsman@dss.nyc.gov. The Ombudsman is an independent City unit that handles complaints from people in shelter, including through mediation. You cannot be punished for a complaint. If you reported gender-based harassment, discrimination or retaliation and disagree with the result, you can ask for a legal review.
The Trevor Project
Under 25Free
A free, confidential crisis line for LGBTQ+ young people under 25, 24/7 by phone, text and chat. Counselors listen without judgment. Only in cases of abuse or an imminent suicide risk may they have to contact child welfare or emergency services. The line is in English. If you do not speak English and you are in crisis right now, call 988 and say "Russian" for an interpreter.
- DYCD
- The Department of Youth and Community Development, the City agency that funds youth drop-in centers, emergency shelters and street outreach.
- Drop-in center
- A walk-in place where young people 14 to 24 get food, clothing, showers, laundry and a case worker.
- Case manager / case worker
- A staff member who makes a plan with you and connects you to housing, health care, school and other services.
- Crisis services program
- A voluntary, short-stay emergency shelter for young people, paid for by DYCD.
- Transitional Independent Living (TIL)
- A longer-term residential program for young people ages 16 through 24.
- Gender-affirming bed
- A bed that DHS sets aside in a men's or women's shelter for transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary and intersex clients.
- DSS
- The Department of Social Services, the City agency that includes the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and the Human Resources Administration (HRA).
- 311
- The City's service for information, complaints and referrals: online at portal.311.nyc.gov, in the 311 app, or by dialing 311 in New York City. Say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sources, checked November 2026
- nyc.gov/site/dhs/about/transgender-non-binary-and-intersex-cli…
- nyc.gov/assets/dhs/downloads/pdf/brc-1062-e.pdf
- projectrenewal.org/our-work/homes/marshas-house
- aliforneycenter.org/get-help
- covenanthouse.org/homeless-shelters/new-york
- door.org
- safehorizon.org/streetwork
- hmi.org
- nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/runaway-homeless-youth.page
- thetrevorproject.org/get-help
- nyc.gov/assets/dhs/downloads/pdf/brc-1062-r.pdf