Philly establishing transgender shelter
ALEXANDRA WIGGLESWORTH/METRO
PHILADELPHIA
Published: October 16, 2011 8:40 p.m.
Last modified: October 17, 2011 12:38 p.m.
http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/local/article/998560--philly-establishing-transgender-shelterWhen Jaden Hensley visited the Appletree Center homeless intake center on Cherry Street seeking shelter one September night, the transgender man found yet another place that he didn't fit in.
"We don't take transgenders," a security guard told Hensley, he recalls. A city spokesman said there's no such provision.
[...]
Hensley's encounter may soon end with the creation of the Morris Home. The city-funded shelter will be the first to offer comprehensive health services specifically for the transgender community.
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More on the Morris Home, Country's First Holistic Trans Treatment Program
Alexandra Wigglesworth
Published: October 17, 2011 12:02 p.m.
http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/local/article/999087--more-on-the-morris-home-country-s-first-holistic-trans-treatment-program***Correction*** The Morris Home is not a shelter in the classic sense, but a treatment center where the city's trans and gender-variant populations can receive holistic health services.
Jaden Hensley has trouble finding employment due to his felony record. He dealt with depression from a young age and ran away, committing petty thefts and other crimes to support his transient lifestyle. "Everybody thought I was this girl," he said. "I was never comfortable at home – I felt like I couldn't be me. I didn't belong anywhere."
Hensley's story is not atypical among those in the trans and gender variant community.
