Casa Al-Fatiha is an autonomous sanctuary house for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and peer supporters. Casa Al-Fatiha is a much-needed space that helps address the dire lack of LGBTQ+-affirming housing for people seeking asylum in Chicago. Since launching the house in March of 2021, Casa Al-Fatiha has provided housing for three asylum seekers with more people hopefully on the way. One-hundred percent of your monthly donation will go to covering rent and utility costs so that more people can access the space. Casa Al-Fatiha is autonomous but collaborates closely with other community organizations such as Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants (ICDI), a Chicago-based non-profit that matches asylum seekers currently in ICE custody with community-based housing. Proof of housing is a crucial step in securing release from ICE detention, but can be an especially daunting barrier for the queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming individuals who make up over a third of all arriving asylum seekers. Lawyers and case workers from ICDI and other organizations are now be able to match LGBTQ+ asylum seekers who are currently incarcerated with open rooms at Casa Al-Fatiha, where they are welcomed into a safe, liberatory space to continue their journey towards asylum. Casa Al-Fatiha also recognizes the tremendous overlap between the needs of LGBTQ+ people being released from ICE detention and the needs of LGBTQ+ people being released from domestic jails and prisons. As this sanctuary house continues to develop, they are communicating with organizations like Black + Pink and Masjid Al-Rabia who serve LGBTQ+ people being released from any kind of detention. They are excited to welcome their first new housemate supported by Black + Pink this month! Casa Al-Fatiha needs community support to keep the rooms available at any time for referrals from ICDI and any other groups they may work with. Some individuals being released from detention have rent sponsorship; others do not. They are committed to offering their rooms regardless of any individuals rent support, and this means that they need community involvement to build the houses financial safety net.
Find Casa Al-Fatiha online:
