We are so grateful to be able to announce that on Trans Day of Visibility, THISTL selected the recipients of our 2025 Mutual Aid & Rental Assistance! This has been in the works for months with SO many of y'all promoting, commenting, donating, and sharing your stories.
We raised an amazing $3,950 this year from community contributions alone. THISTL then matched those donations up to $3,500 for a whopping grand total of $7,450!
These funds went directly to trans folks in need. With your help, we sent out checks to EIGHTEEN different trans adults in the metro area. This meant we got to help keep people's bills paid, keep a roof over their head, and provide various forms of relief for unhoused individuals. The impact of these funds has already started to show, just in the relief and the gratitude we hear in our recipient's voices.
Applications were accepted from February to March 2025. We held in person application events at multiple locations throughout North City, Mid St. Louis, and South City with virtual accommodations available by request. Our application process was smaller and more personal this year and we loved connecting with y'all 1:1 to share stories, dreams, and resources together.
Checks were sent out early April 2025. If you were selected as one of our 2025 recipients and have not gotten your check yet, please don't hesitate to email us at contact@thi-stl.org.
As a closing thought, keep in mind that we have always had and will most likely continue to have more applicants than we have funds available. The need of our community often overwhelms the existing systems meant to support them, especially now as we see unprecedented attacks on trans life at the national and state level. This means that not everyone gets selected even though their need may be just as great. If you were a part of this group, we hope you are able to stay safe and connect with community during these hard times. We hope to have more resources and information for renters available soon! In the meantime, here are some external resources that may be helpful:
- https://lsem.org/housing-law/
- Legal Services of Eastern Missouri advances justice through legal representation, education and supportive services.
- https://www.archcitydefenders.org/our-impact/housing-and-homelessness/
- Provides holistic legal representation and social work support to community members experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, in order to help them protect their rights and gain or maintain housing.
- For all sorts of resources, get in contact with the St. Louis Queer Support & Healing (SQSH). They operate a local resource guide named SQSHBook which has many different resources listed by category. The guide catalogs 1,200+ St. Louis resources, consolidates vetting information from queer-led organizations, and connects users to LGBTQIA-affirming services.
- For emotional support and assistance in going over these resources, SQSH operates a Peer Support Line open Friday through Monday, 1:00-7:00 PM CT Local: 314-380-7774 | Toll-Free: 844-785-7774
- Other organizations that can provide direct support, linkage to care, and other services include the Metro Trans Umbrella Group, Vivent Health, and the Community Wellness Project.
We will have a full transparency report regarding our mutual aid demographics for 2025 available soon. If you'd like to review last years report, it is available further down on this page. Just like last year, we distribute funds based on need and in alignment with our racial equity pledge: at least 60% of total aid serves Black individuals, reflecting St. Louis demographics.
