EMH Festive Season LGBTQ Homeless Drive

Support your community! Please help us clothe and feed homeless LGBT individuals and MSM (men who have sex with men) over the festive season. We are aware of a group that are trying to survive on the streets in Johannesburg.

While Engage provides free sexual health services to the gay, bi and men who have sex with men (MSM) community in Joburg, we are asking you to show your love and help to make a difference where we know there is a need. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated:

• Clothes / shoes
• Toiletries
• Food (tinned or non-perishables)
• Blankets
• Bags (like sports tog bags) as they don’t have a place to put belongings

Engage Men’s Health will have a drop-off point at our clinic in Melville which is behind 27 Boxes on 3rd Ave. Beyond our regular hours, we will have extended hours from 1 to 20 December:
Mondays 8:30 – 16:30
Tuesdays 8:30 – 16:30
Wednesdays 8:30 – 20:00
Thursdays 8:30 – 16:30
Fridays 8:30 – 20:00
Saturdays 9:00 – 17:00

Here are a few sad realities that some LGBT people are faced with:
Suicide amongst the LGBT community over the Christmas period are higher than with heterosexuals, this percentage goes up quite significantly for homeless LGBT people. A disproportionate percentage of people who are homeless and living on the street are from the LGBT community.
LGBT youth are more likely to be homeless because they run away or are evicted due to family conflict surrounding their sexual orientation.
LGBT youth are more likely to be homeless due to physical or sexual abuse experienced at home.
Homeless LGBT people are more likely to be victims of crime than their heterosexual counterparts. Male LGBT youth were more often sexually victimised while homeless than non-LGBT male youth.
LGBT homeless people are more likely to engage in survival sex, or prostitution as a last resort to meet basic needs and due to lack of access to HIV and other STI prevention and treatment, the prevalence is very high.
There are virtually no LGBT housing and shelters in South Africa.

Make this festive season merry and gay! – Let’s shine a light on LGBT family members in need.
You can contact us on 011 500 0934