This year, Rainbow Haven was proud to take part in Ottawa Pride alongside Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) through our joint Everyone Deserves a Safe Home campaign.

For us, Pride was about much more than being visible. It was an opportunity to talk about something that is often missing from conversations about LGBTQ+ rights: what happens to LGBTQ+ people when they are forced to leave their homes and have nowhere safe to go.

Rainbow Haven works with LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees who are in countries of transition, often after fleeing persecution, violence, discrimination, or rejection. Before they ever arrive in a country like Canada, many have already experienced homelessness, isolation, fear, and uncertainty. Some spend months or even years waiting for a safe pathway forward.

A strong Rainbow Haven presence

More than 15 people came out to support Rainbow Haven during Ottawa Pride, including six volunteers who travelled from Montreal specifically to help us.

Together, we participated in both the Pride booth and the parade. We distributed approximately 2,000 rack cards, spoke with many people who stopped at our booth, and had conversations with people who wanted to better understand what LGBTQ+ asylum seekers experience before and after reaching a country like Canada.

Our volunteers also brought strong visibility to the campaign during the parade. We marched together with matching Rainbow Haven volunteers, our Everyone Deserves a Safe Home banner, and music playing as we walked through the streets of Ottawa.

It was an incredible feeling to see so many people come together around the message that everyone deserves a place where they can feel safe.

Conversations that matter

One of the most meaningful parts of Pride was the conversations.

Several people told us they had never thought about what happens before an asylum seeker reaches Canada. There is often an assumption that the journey begins when someone arrives at the airport or makes an asylum claim.

For many LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, the journey begins much earlier.

They may first have to escape their home country, find somewhere to stay in another country, survive without the ability to work legally, find food and shelter, and live with the fear of being discovered or targeted again.

Even after reaching Canada, the journey is not necessarily over. Newcomers can still experience discrimination, uncertainty, and barriers created by policies and public attitudes.

We also spoke with people about current changes to Canada’s refugee and immigration system, including concerns surrounding Bill C-12 and the proposed changes affecting asylum claims. These conversations helped show why refugee policy and LGBTQ+ safety cannot be separated from the idea of having a safe home.

Everyone Deserves a Safe Home

Our collaboration with CPJ is built around a simple idea:

Everyone deserves a safe home.

Rainbow Haven works internationally, providing safe temporary housing and basic support to LGBTQ+ people who are in countries of transition while they wait for a pathway to longer-term safety.

CPJ works in Canada on public justice issues, including refugee and migrant policy and advocacy.

Together, our work connects two parts of the same journey.

A person may need a safe place to sleep while waiting in a country of transition. They may then need a fair and accessible refugee system when they finally have an opportunity to seek safety in Canada.

That is why this collaboration is so meaningful to us.

More people joined the Rainbow Haven community

Pride also helped us connect with people who wanted to do more than simply learn about our work.

Several people signed up to volunteer specifically with Rainbow Haven. We also received cash donations during Pride, along with a new monthly donor who had started supporting Rainbow Haven shortly before the event.

Every volunteer, conversation, donation, and new connection helps us continue building what Rainbow Haven is trying to create: a network of people and safe spaces that LGBTQ+ asylum seekers can turn to when they have nowhere else to go.

We are especially grateful to everyone who travelled from Montreal to Ottawa to volunteer, everyone who helped at the booth and parade, and everyone who stopped to ask questions, listen, donate, or sign up.

The need is growing

Around the world, LGBTQ+ people continue to face discrimination, violence, criminalization, and persecution. For those who are forced into hiding or forced to flee, finding a safe place can be one of the most difficult parts of the journey.

Rainbow Haven believes that safety should not depend on luck.

We want to continue expanding our work and helping establish safe spaces in places where LGBTQ+ people are waiting for a pathway to long-term safety.

But we cannot do this alone.

We need people who are willing to volunteer. We need donors who believe in this work. We need organizations willing to collaborate. And we need people who are willing to learn about the realities LGBTQ+ asylum seekers face and speak up for policies that protect their rights.

Everyone deserves a safe home.

And until everyone has one, there is still work to do.

Support Rainbow Haven

If you would like to support our work, volunteer with Rainbow Haven, or explore a partnership, we would love to hear from you.

Together, we can help create safer places for LGBTQ+ people who are still waiting for a place they can finally call home.