On August 5, 2025, New York City officially opened the doors to Ace’s Place, the nation’s first government-funded homeless shelter dedicated solely to transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) individuals. Operated by the Bronx-based nonprofit Destination Tomorrow, the shelter represents a landmark moment for TGNC rights and a powerful statement that trans people deserve safe, affirming places to recover and rebuild.
A Shelter That Meets People Where They Are
Located in Long Island City, Queens, Ace’s Place offers 150 beds and is designed from the ground up to support trans people who are too often neglected or mistreated in the general shelter system. Services go beyond food and housing. Residents will have access to mental health care, legal assistance, GED courses, culinary training, and gender-affirming services, including help with name and documentation changes.
The shelter’s name honors the late mother of Sean Ebony Coleman, the founder of Destination Tomorrow. Coleman, a trans-masculine leader and longtime advocate, described the shelter as a place where dignity and safety are not negotiable.
Ace’s Place was born from a 2021 legal settlement requiring New York City to provide at least 30 beds specifically for TGNC individuals or to create a dedicated facility. The city opted for the latter, investing an estimated $63 million through 2030 to fund operations.
The Response from the Right
Rather than celebrating a major win for one of the most vulnerable populations in the country, right-wing figures were quick to attack the project. Among the most vocal was the conservative social media account Libs of TikTok, which posted on Twitter:
“New York City just opened the first taxpayer-funded homeless shelter exclusively for transgender people. Taxpayers are footing the $63 million bill. America is falling apart and this is what they’re prioritizing.”
This reaction is part of a predictable pattern. Critics who routinely deny the existence of systemic barriers for trans people are often the first to oppose solutions aimed at correcting them. Their argument is not really about funding. It is about visibility. When trans people are given space, resources, and care, it contradicts the narrative that they are undeserving or marginal.
Why This Matters
Data consistently shows that TGNC people experience homelessness at significantly higher rates than the general population. Many are turned away from traditional shelters due to harassment, abuse, or policies that fail to recognize their gender identities. Providing a trans-specific shelter is not an extravagance. It is a response to an unmet need.
The right has made a habit of weaponizing the suffering of trans people while ignoring the root causes. They want to police gender but show no interest in protecting lives. Their outrage over a safe space for homeless trans people says more about their priorities than it does about the shelter itself.
The Bottom Line
Ace’s Place stands as a reminder that care is political and that dignity for trans people is still controversial to those who cannot or will not see them as human. But while critics rage online, real lives are being changed.
New York City made the right call. And the people who walk through the doors of Ace’s Place will not just find shelter; they will find hope.
