Great news. Lucie’s Place, a doughty Little Rock charity that provides shelter for homeless LGBT young adults, has received a $50,000 grant from Mission and Ministry Inc., an arm of the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise, a worldwide organization of Catholic women devoted to serving the marginalized and poor.

The gift will allow Lucie’s Place to purchase a home and open a second transitional living program. It will house eight previously homeless LGBT young adults who’ll work on skills for independence. They will work with a resident assistant and with a case manager at the Lucie’s Place drop-in center.

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The first house opened in October with four young people, the first of its kind in the state.

Said a release:

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“This major grant from MMI is the final gift we needed to begin searching for our second home! Getting to this point has been a long and difficult journey, but thanks to the support of our amazing community, this dream has become a reality,” said Penelope Poppers, the executive director of Lucie’s Place. “We are especially excited about this gift, because it is the beginning of a beautiful partnership with Mission and Ministry, Inc. In addition to their generous grant of $50,000, there is a strong possibility of ongoing future support from MMI.”

“Working with MMI and the Daughters of Charity has been such a joy. From the very beginning, they ‘got it’ and understood why the mission of Lucie’s Place is not only vital, but also perfectly aligns with their mission. We are thrilled to partner with an organization like MMI, which recognizes that the importance of our shared work is truly greater than our differences. We feel this is a perfect partnership, as both MMI and Lucie’s Place are dedicated to supporting those living in poverty.”

The news is joyous to me, particularly in the context of the times. It comes as the Arkansas legislature is moving in several ways to marginalize LGBT people, including by providing a religious pretext for legal discrimination. I’ll take the Daughters of Charity’s witness over that of the Arkansas legislature.

We’ve written frequently about Lucie’s Place, including here last year.

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