The mission of Trinity Place Shelter is to help LGBTQ+ youth and young adults exit the cycle of homelessness.
Trinity Place houses young people, ages 18-25, and is one of the only transitional shelters specifically for queer people in the city. Residents of Trinity Place, located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, can stay for up to 18 months and receive individualized care, respect, and access to a variety of social and educational services.
Staffed by social workers, Trinity Place provides a safe and affirming home with opportunities and resources to heal from the trauma of homelessness and rejection from families of origin while developing the skills necessary to build a meaningful future. Trinity Place Shelter is a non-sectarian 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
I don't feel like I live in a shelter
I live in a home. I just happen to have 9 other roommates.
You can let your guard down here
I didn’t feel this comfortable being myself anywhere else.
Trinity Place creates the sense of community
and the feeling that people care both residents and staff.
We get a lot of freedom
here which is part of why people feel so comfortable we have a great kitchen where we can cook our own food we can also shower anytime we want, even in the middle of the night.
New
Trinity Place Shelter was founded by a professional social worker, a pastor, and a teacher. In 2006, Kevin Lotz, LCSW, Pastor Heidi Neumark, and Lydie Raschka, M.Ed., opened the doors of Trinity Place and it has been continuously open for every night since.
In March 2020, Trinity Place responded to the COVID-19 crisis and became a 24-hour shelter. The emergency response led by the current director, Wendy Kaplan, saved lives. In expanding the hours and services during the pandemic, Trinity Place Shelter has grown and is looking forward to a future when that growth can be permanent.
Your support is crucial in maintaining this momentum and allowing Trinity Place Shelter to holistically care for the LGBTQ+ community in New York.
FOUNDING MEMBER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Heidi Neumark has been the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan, a bilingual, multicultural congregation, since 2003. She is the co-founder and executive director of Trinity Place Shelter. Her experiences in community organizing shaped her first book, Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx. Her second book, Hidden Inheritance: Family Secrets, Memory, and Faith, tells of discovering her Jewish roots and her grandfather’s death in a concentration camp. Her most recent book is Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump. Heidi is married and has two adult children, one grandchild, and two more on the way.
DIRECTOR
Wendy Kaplan is the Director of Trinity Place Shelter and oversees all aspects of daily operations, program development, and clinical services. Prior to her tenure at Trinity Place Shelter, she worked at The Staten Island Pride Center where she developed and ran the youth drop-in space and youth programming for its first 4 generative years. In addition to her roles at Trinity Place Shelter, she practices psychotherapy at Jewish Board Family and Children Services. Wendy lives in Brooklyn with her partner and spends her free time chasing her 5-year-old around the apartment.
The Rev. Heidi Neumark
Executive Director
David McMahon
Board Chair
Anne Fry
Treasurer
Oscar Cragwell
Nicholas Forge
Aminda Hickman
Jennifer Ibrahim
Julian Moreno
Lydie Raschka
Paul Smith-Leonard
Dan Spinello
Stephen Von Der Launitz
Board Members