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The Jack Myers House opens on June 28, offering services for members of the queer community experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, and sex trafficking.
Mississippi's first-ever shelter for LGBTQ+ people will open in Jackson at the end of the month.
The Jack Myers House will officially open to the public on June 28, offering services for members of the queer community experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, and sex trafficking.
The house offers beds for 10 clients at a time, providing residents with three meals per day, access to internet and devices, and domestic violence support groups. It also provides assistance finding job placements and long-term housing plans, and resources to earn a GED or attend community college, according to executive director of the Mississippi Harm Reduction Initiative, Jason McCarty.
The Jack Myers Wellness Center, which will open later in August this year, will additionally provide laundry services, daily counseling services, free felony expungement services, and legal services for those seeking to replace identification documents that were lost or following a legal name change.
“The LGBTQ shelter has been about a 10-year dream. We’re really excited and grateful that through MS Harm Reduction, we are now being able to open," McCarty told local station WJTV Jackson.
The Jack Myers House gets its name from Mississippian LGBTQ+ activist Jack Meyers, who has helmed several queer establishments in Jackson, including some in the 1960s that provided housing. In the 1980s, he worked to create safe housing opportunities for those living with HIV.
The shelter is already home to some residents, and can be specially contacted for assistance until then. The exact location of the shelter will not be disclosed publicly for safety reasons.
The Jack Myers House is also accepting donations (100 percent of the money will go directly to the organization, as the nonprofit donation platform Zeffy does not take percentage cuts). For Pride month, donations made before June 20 will be doubled by a donor up to $50,000.
