After marching with pride through the streets of Houston during the 2025 Pride Parade, Pride Corpus Christi board members Jonathan Swindle, Robert Kymes, and Jerry Cantu extended their visit for a deeper purpose, touring Tony’s Place, a life-saving resource center for LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

What Is Tony’s Place?

Located in the heart of Houston, Tony’s Place is a nonprofit drop-in center dedicated to youth ages 14–25 who identify as LGBTQIA+. The center provides essential services including hot meals, clothing, showers, hygiene supplies, job readiness tools, and access to computers and case management. But beyond the services, Tony’s Place offers something equally vital: affirmation, dignity, and a sense of safety in a world where those are too often denied.

Why It Matters

LGBTQIA+ youth are overrepresented in the homeless population, with national statistics from True Colors United showing they make up as much as 40% of all unhoused youth, despite being less than 10% of the general youth population. Many of these young people are pushed out of their homes due to family rejection, abuse, or systemic inequities.

During the visit, our board members learned firsthand about the operations, partnerships, and programming that make Tony’s Place a cornerstone of LGBTQIA+ youth support in Houston. The experience was not only eye-opening—it was a call to action.

Beginning the Conversation in the Coastal Bend

Inspired by Tony’s Place and guided by conversations with their leadership, The Mosaic Project of South Texas, our parent nonprofit, is initiating early dialogue around the needs of unhoused LGBTQIA+ youth in the Coastal Bend. While we recognize that every community has its own challenges, the model of care, respect, and consistency we witnessed is one we aspire to bring closer to home.

“We don’t have a version of Tony’s Place yet in Corpus Christi,” said Jonathan Swindle, President of The Mosaic Project, “but we have the passion, the people, and the growing awareness to begin building something transformative for our region.”

Looking Ahead

The visit to Tony’s Place reinforces the need for year-round investment in LGBTQIA+ wellbeing, not just during Pride Month, but every day. Pride Corpus Christi remains committed to serving our community through advocacy, education, and support, and this includes exploring solutions to housing insecurity among LGBTQIA+ youth.

If you’re interested in supporting this emerging initiative or connecting with us about potential partnerships, please visit tmpst.org.