TRANSforming Housing

This fundraiser supports THISTL (Trans Housing Initiative St. Louis), a grassroots, trans-led organization working at the intersection of housing justice and trans liberation. Our mission is to ensure that all transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) people in the St. Louis region have access to safe, affirming, and stable housing.

We believe that housing is not just a basic need, but a foundation for everything else: for safety, for healing, for community, and for thriving. Yet, TGNC people, especially Black trans women and trans people of color, face disproportionately high rates of homelessness, eviction, housing discrimination, violence, and unsafe living conditions. At the same time, anti-trans legislation and rhetoric are on the rise, intensifying the challenges our communities face and making our work more urgent than ever.

THISTL steps into this crisis with community-driven solutions.

What THISTL does:

• Training and Policy Review for Emergency Shelters that serve TGNC individuals facing homelessness or unsafe living conditions.
• Mutual Aid: Direct financial assistance to help with homelessness, rent, deposits, moving costs, and utilities.
• Education and Advocacy for TGNC individuals to achieve homeownership and/or financial wellness to prevent economic harm to our community and families and empower long-term change.
• Leadership opportunities for trans and nonbinary people to shape and lead the work, not just receive services.
• Collaborative partnerships with local and statewide efforts to build stronger support systems and lasting impact.

This fundraiser helps us sustain and grow this vital work. Donations will go directly toward expanding our capacity to respond to urgent needs quickly and with care. It will also support our educational and advocacy programming, our mutual aid projects, and the infrastructure required to keep a trans-led organization responsive to the needs of the community moving forward.

As a community-based effort, we believe that every contribution matters; not just the financial ones, but the stories, relationships, and solidarity that come with it. That’s where you come in.

If you're organizing or contributing to this fundraiser, you’re helping make trans housing justice real. We encourage you to share your reasons for supporting THISTL. Whether you’re connected to the mission through your own experience, someone you love, or simply your values, your story helps bring others into the work.

Here are a few ways you can help build momentum:

• Share why you care about trans housing justice.
• Set a personal fundraising goal and invite your community to meet it with you.
• Host an event online or in-person to raise funds and awareness.
• Spread the word on social media using your voice and ours.
• Invite others to learn more about THISTL and join the movement.
• Our vision is a St. Louis where all trans people have the right to live safely and freely in homes they choose, in communities that hold and uplift them. 
  
  We know we can’t do it alone, and with your support, we don’t have to.

Let’s build this future together.