Lydon House
In February 2020, Black & Pink National opened our first Lydon House in Omaha, Nebraska, named after Black & Pink National Founder, Jason Lydon. Lydon House offers housing and wrap around support services to LGBTQIA2S+ people who are impacted by incarceration.
We are thankful to have established Lydon House as a community support which centers the needs of Black trans and queer people, and we look forward to continuing to develop the space to meet the needs of more Black trans and queer community members.
Lydon House served six residents and 50 community members in its first year.
The Lydon House Approach
Lydon House provides wrap around support services because we understand we must focus on all aspects of someone’s ecosystem in order to achieve transformational change. We understand that supporting someone in accessing foundational needs allows them to achieve a space of safety and sustainability, which enables them to move into spaces of resiliency and ultimately thriving. We collaborate with each resident and member to identify their personal and professional goals and then partner with them to achieve those goals.
Black & Pink National ensures all Lydon House residents are able to live in the house cost-free, and ensures the pantry is always stocked with food and toiletry items. When we welcome new residents into the space, we provide a $250 move-in stipend for residents to personalize their room and make the space their own. It’s crucial that residents have this control and autonomy over their own room so that they can build a space which makes them feel safe, comfortable, and affirmed.
Wrap around support services are offered to the community and to Lydon House residents, and support people in accessing the resources they need. This ranges from supporting someone in accessing food, healthcare (including reproductive and mental healthcare), education, employment, identification documents, gender affirming care (including Hormone Replacement Therapy), and housing. These support services are grounded in caring for each members’ wellbeing and tailoring wrap around support services to fit each individuals’ needs.
The Lydon House Vision
What makes Black & Pink National’s Lydon House programming so unique is our vision of transformational change: We must empower and support people at the personal, interpersonal, and community levels, and only by achieving stabilization as individuals, as loved ones who support others, and as communities, will we be able to achieve success and transformation. We understand that we must focus on all aspects of someone’s ecosystem in order to achieve transformational change, and this is precisely what our Lydon House programming accomplishes.
We envision a future with Lydon Houses across the country, serving the needs of system-impacted LGBTQIA2S+ people in their communities!