A duplex sits nestled along a tree-lined street in an average neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale. From the outside, it blends in with its surroundings. But take a step inside, and you feel love, compassion and, most of all, hope. In this week’s Out South Florida, I take a tour of Sunshine Pride House, a new home for LGBTQ+ young adults looking to get a foothold on life. Some are aging out of foster care, others are trans, there are too many stories to list here. It opened its doors this month and will eventually house 12 people. This is a collaborative effort. Sunshine Cathedral owns the property, FLITE Center helps them develop life skills. SunServe gets them in treatment with mental health services and much more, all with the help of David Jobin and the Our Fund Foundation. I talk with the team that works with the kids 24-Seven. David Alan, Gabby Corrado, and Quay Montgomery answer texts from the residents at all hours. Their first goal is to make them feel safe. Quay told me, “When they come into our care, they come with a lot of trauma. Once we show them that we’re not backing out and help them on their journey, that’s when they start to open up.” I also talk with Michael Kalb, who has been working on this for a decade and is seeing his dream of a positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community. The job is hard. But this team is in it for the long haul. Montgomery told me, “Do they fail? Yes. Do they fail again? Yes. But we never give up.”
