SMYAL launches 6-year Extended Transitional Housing program for homeless LGBTQ youth
which our youth can flourish.”Related: SMYAL opens second house, with 14 additional beds, for LGBTQ homeless youthSultan Shakir, the executive director of SMYAL, helped lead efforts as part of the DC LGBTQ Coalition that advocated for, and eventually obtained, increased funding in the city’s budget for LGBTQ-specific programs, including extended transitional housing.“The extended transitional housing program is for people who need more support,” Shakir told Metro Weekly in an interview. “In particular, when we’re talking about LGBTQ youth, we’re talking about: first, just dealing with trauma and anger and all the stress of just being a young, queer, homeless person.