SHE SHELTERS HOMELESS TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS
June Chua, founder, The T Project
“The transgender community is visible, yet invisible at the same time. Our presence is known but not much support is given to us,” says June Chua, 44. It’s one reason she was inspired to set up The T Project, a shelter for transgender women who are estranged from their families, and don’t have a place to stay.
Herself a transgender woman, June has beneted from the support of a loving family, and wants the same for others like her. “Hopefully, with emotional support, they’ll start to believe in a future,” she says. She started The T Project in 2014 after realising many workshops and focus groups did not have enough emphasis on the issues transgender people face, such as being perceived as deviant. Things get worse if they aren’t accepted by their families. “Employment is a challenge as some transgender people drop out of school when they’re chased out of their homes by their families. This means they have limited skills and qualications to nd a good job later in life,” she adds.
Beyond a physical safe space, The T Project provides the peace of mind that comes with not having to worry about rent or where a meal will come from. The group also links transgender people up with social workers so they can get nancial aid, advice on housing, and medical help.
June’s full-time job is as a volunteer coordinator in the health-care sector, and she relies on donations to keep her passion project going. The T Project began in an attic space in a shophouse in Little India. Through a fund-raising campaign which raised close to $140,000, June was able to get a bigger space to house more people at any time. She declines to reveal the location of the new shelter to protect the privacy of those who live there. To date, she’s sheltered 11 individuals, some of whom have made the adjustment back to the “real world”. June says seeing them get back on their feet and begin to look for jobs is the one of the most rewarding aspects of her work.