You Are Safe Here came about when Rick Foster was told by the US State Department that the UNHCR had stopped processing the files of LGBTQ refugees and claimed there are not enough safe communities for the resettlement of these individuals. Rick Foster began advocating to members of Congress and the US Senate asking for help in processing these dormant files. Congressman Lowenthal chief of staff, suggested Foster form an organization and You Are Safe Here was born.

Rick Foster and You Are Safe Here, has been working with the US State Department, UNHCR, and various foreign affairs offices for nearly a decade and has even helped draft legislation for comprehensive human rights bills such as The Global Respect Act.

• When Rick Foster began advocating for the LGBTQ refugees, he was focused on a group of 500 urban refugees in Nairobi that had fled the refugee camps due to abuse, today most of that original group has been resettled because of those efforts. Today’s focus is a group of 800 LGBTQ refugees living in the Kakuma camp.
• By providing data and setting up networks in safe communities many of these LGBTQ refugees can be resettled and their lives forever transformed and even saved. Each year dozens of LGBTQ refugees die from, starvation, abuse, murder, suicide, and rape. These lives would have been saved had their files been processed and a safe community been offered to them.
• Who implements the activities, and when and where do they take place? The activity of You Are Safe Here is to first identify a rough sketch of LGBTQ friendly communities and then take a deeper dive into the infrastructure of the community to determine the viability of having a sustainable standard of living amongst other LGBTQ people and the ability to assimilate into the population. Once a community matches this criterion then You Are Safe Here reaches out to the local governance to request, they adopt the You Are Safe Here designation and to be known as a safe and welcoming place for LGBTQ refugees.
• As a gay man who has traveled around the world, Rick Foster has found numerous safe and welcoming communities and has reached out to those communities and has many willing to take on the challenge and adopt the You Are Safe Here branding. These communities that have shown interest thus far are: Atlanta, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Long Beach, Seattle, Reykjavik, Iceland, Toronto and Montreal.

1. Project Goals: What are you hoping to achieve?

The current goal is to have at least six U.S.A. communities participating, three Canadian cities, and two communities in the UK, our goal is to bring on board, Berlin, Munich, New Zealand, Australia, Dublin, Amsterdam, and take a closer look at Lisbon and Barcelona. The goal is to have at least 50 refugees resettled to these identified communities.

       2. Project Impact: How will you measure your project’s impact at the end of your year?

• Our measurable impact will be recognized by the number of onboard safe communities and the number of refugees resettled to those communities.
• We seek sustainability for the long-term partnership with these safe havens and look to not only build a network but to build on the community that already exists and to foster the support from the existing community and resources to provide the helping hand these new arrivals will need. The LGBTQ refugee faces unique challenges and requires the embracing of the existing LGBTQ community to help, find jobs, housing, medical, education, and social interactions. Part of the deeper dive during the initial identification process is to begin making these critical relationships with the local LGBTQ communities.

3. Equity: We prioritize support for projects that focus on dismantling inequity and/or advancing equity and accessibility, particularly by and for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

• Inequity has been the core purpose of this project. The day the UNHCR hung up on Rick Foster and stated they do not have time for this “gay stuff” and when the UNHCR began sending out false reports about the dormant files and later stated it takes too much time to process LGBTQ files, that was the time Rick Foster went to Congress for help to solve the inequity. Most of the refugees You Are Safe Here will support are Black and LGBTQ.
• Rick Foster identifies as White, but of mixed race and part Native American, the advisory board consists of Black, Asian, and White.
• Founder Rick Foster is not only an out gay man who made history in Orange County as the first gay person to run for a countywide seat but has also been a victim of a hate crim. Rick Foster is no stranger to standing up for others, whether it be racism, homophobia, or bullying. The You Are Safe Here advisory board is reflective of the same ideology.
• During the Trump administration, very few LGBTQ refugees were settled, and You Are Safe Here corresponded with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and got Canada to take in many more refugees and pick up the slack where the U.S. stopped. You Are Safe Here has been recognized by Rainbow Catholics, Dignity USA and Rick Foster has been recognized by Pope Francis for his work in advocating for LGBTQ refugees.

       4. Project Leadership: Who will help you carry out your project’s mission?

• Over the past decade we have achieved an impressive contact list of world leaders and foreign affairs partners. We work closely with the U.S. State Department Africa Desk and members of Congress and have a strong partnership with Prime Minister Trudeau’s office. Our correspondence with Pope Francis continues, along with the Vatican’s Permanent Mission Observers of the UN. Our platform only survives on continuing these relationships and building more relationships in each safe community along our journey. It is these key relationships that are the cornerstone of our project and the pillar to our success to show other smaller communities they are not alone.

5. Fundraising and Project Budget: How will you fund your project’s activities?

• Thus far Rick Foster has privately funded You Are Safe Here and his advocacy for LGBTQ refugees, however, You Are Safe Here is taking his work to a new level and will be funded primarily by fundraising and donations. Many of our corporate supporters are willing to donate non-monetary items that we plan to auction off in coordination with our planned fundraising events. We are currently working on a wine auction and community awards gala fundraiser to honor those in the LGBTQIA space. The budget for You Are Safe Here is minimal as most of the work is done via email and phone correspondence. However, there is a need to have boots on the ground to facilitate some activities and travel would be our largest expenditure that will be paid for by fundraising. We are hopeful that soon, each of our designated communities will be able to host local fundraising events on behalf of You Are Safe Here.