Ian L. Haddock, left, and Courtney Sellers
Houston-based The Normal Anomaly Initiative, a nonprofit with offices in Dallas too that is dedicated to uplifting and supporting the Black LGBTQIA+ community, this week announced “a significant grant from Gilead Sciences, which will propel our mission to enhance the well-being of the Black queer+ community throughout the Southern United States.”
This funding will support LUMINATE, NAI’s project in partnership with Montrose Grace Place, a nonprofit providing a safe and welcoming environment for unhoused youth of all sexualities and genders. “This partnership is poised to create lasting change by addressing entrenched barriers related to housing, healthcare and inclusivity,” the NAI press release noted.
“LUMINATE aims to provide essential resources, food and a sense of community to many sub-sections of the community, including young LGBTQIA+ individuals of color, the drag community and the content creator community,” according to the press release. “Access to community, resources and advocacy capacity is essential. LUMINATE, supported by Gilead’s generous grant, goes beyond providing temporary relief. It represents a commitment to creating long-lasting change by fostering supportive environments where these basic needs are met consistently.”
Calling the partnership with Montrose Grace Place “monumental,” the press release wrote that LGBTQIA+ youth are 120 percent more likely to experience being unhoused than non-LGBTQIA+ youth, and that Texas is home to approximately 7 million youth under 18 and holds the second-largest LGBTIA+ youth population in the United States. Urban Institute has found that LGBTQIA+ youth of color in southern states face heightened vulnerabilities and discrimination in service delivery.
NAI Founder Ian L. Haddock expressed his gratitude for the grant and partnership, stating, “This grant from Gilead Sciences is not just a financial boost; it’s a beacon of hope and validation for our community. Having personally faced the challenges of being unhoused, I understand the critical need for spaces that welcome and safely affirm our youth.
“Montrose Grace Place is exemplary in this respect, and together, we can achieve profound change for innumerable lives here in Houston and beyond.”
Courtney Sellers, executive director of Montrose Grace Place, added, “We are filled with gratitude and joy at the opportunity to partner with The Normal Anomaly Initiative and Gilead Sciences to address systemic barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness. The Normal Anomaly has been a leader in fostering community and opportunity for Black, queer+ people in Houston and throughout the South, and we are over the moon about partnering with them to provide additional opportunities for our youth to use their experiences to create pathways to opportunity for themselves and other LGBTQ+ youth with unstable housing.”
— Tammye Nash