WHAT IS PROJECT RAINBOW?
Project Rainbow is a nonprofit organization based in Monongalia County, West Virginia. Since its inception, the project has been curated to serve unsheltered LGBTQ+ individuals to help them better navigate the housing system safely and compassionately. Project Rainbow has opened The Rainbow House to serve this community and meet this goal. Although the shelter is our community's most urgent and immediate need, Project Rainbow recognizes that much more work must be done. We advocate for the individuals we serve and the Appalachian LGBTQ+ community. We work closely with partners in the housing, health, and mental health care systems to find solutions for our guests and make these systems more accessible for our target population.
OUR MISSION AND VISION
The mission of Project Rainbow is to address the problem of LGBTQ+ homelessness by providing a haven for unhoused LGBTQ+ individuals and allies, offering compassionate professional and peer-based assistance and advocacy, and connecting folks with life-saving, gender-affirming care as well as mental health supports and other wrap-around services to ensure empowerment and success.
Our vision is simple: security and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community led by the very individuals we intend to serve. Project Rainbow dares to take the phrase "nothing about us without us" to the next level through the empowerment and professional development of the individuals in need of our services who are interested in working in the field. We believe that there is no better leader than someone with current or past lived experience, and we intend to provide these individuals with the support and resources to lead the project for years to come.