we create ourselves. we create our belonging. we create our freedom.
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Blue Roots Residency
Named in honor of Hodari Blue, a beloved being, creatrix, organizer, and community builder who intentionally and consistently supported the journeys of their Trans and Queer kin, the Blue Roots Residency (BRR) is a two month guaranteed income and wayfinding program for Black Trans and Gender Nonconforming creators.
BRR is a national program rooted in community trust. We are building a national ecosystem of trusted housing hosts, community spaces, healers, and allies committed to creating affirming environments for BTGNC people.
Our model recognizes that sustainable safety cannot depend solely on policy, institutions, or the political conditions of a particular place. Instead, BRR invests in relationships and community infrastructure that can support BTGNC people wherever aligned communities are willing to welcome and hold them.
The program consists of an eight-week journey in which BTGNC participants, known as Passengers, are matched with a Station, an individual or household willing to offer a room in their home free of charge while the Passenger engages in rest, community building, wayfinding, and creative practice.
Passengers receive a guaranteed income stipend, housing, transportation support, and assistance navigating their next steps. When desired and possible, BRR also supports connections and resources for permanent relocation.
Each Passenger participates in weekly virtual heart circles led by circle keepers trained by and/or held by people of Indigenous descent. Together, we focus on acknowledging, feeling, and releasing definitions imposed upon us by the world at large while transmuting that energy into the freedom to define and create ourselves.
Passengers also receive access to eight weeks of support from healers trained in anticarceral care. Through our growing national network, participants are connected to community third spaces, cultural resources, and local and national relationships that allow them to explore and build connection within the communities where they are staying, as well as communities participating in the program that they may be interested in relocating to.
Each Passenger is also paired with a Support Sib, a BTGNC community member who offers companionship, listening, and insight grounded in lived experience. Support Sibs help Passengers navigate the emotional and practical dimensions of their journey without positioning themselves as experts over another person's life.
At its core, BRR is an experiment in building distributed community safety and collective care. By creating relationships between BTGNC people, trusted hosts, healers, artists, organizers, and aligned communities across the country, we are creating a network that can move with our people as they expand and evolve. Our long-term vision is to expand this program globally and cultivate aligned international relationships that can hold and support our kin.
Each residency cycle culminates in a Witnessing Ceremony, where Passengers celebrate their journeys alongside the broader communities and relationships built throughout the residency.
Through Blue Roots, we honor Hodari's legacy by creating the conditions for our kin to rest, reconnect, imagine, and move toward futures of their own making.
The Ask
To sustain a single residency cycle for eight participants, we need to raise $17,600. This funding will provide each participant with a $2,000 guaranteed income stipend and support program administration and the infrastructure needed to coordinate the residency.
2026 to 2028 Growth Plan
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We are seeking support to launch one beta residency cycle from November 2026 through January 2027. This initial cycle will allow us to test and strengthen the BRR model, evaluate our community safety practices, build relationships with Stations and local partners, and gather feedback from Passengers and participating communities.
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In 2027, we plan to expand to four eight week residency cycles, supporting up to 32 BTGNC participants throughout the year while continuing to build our national network of Stations, Support Sibs, healers, community spaces, and resource partners.
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By 2028, our goal is to operate six eight week residency cycles annually, creating capacity to support up to 48 participants each year and expanding the national ecosystem of communities capable of welcoming and supporting our kin.
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Our long term goal is to build a donor base of 320 monthly supporters giving $25 per month, creating a sustainable community funded foundation for future residency cycles.
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We are also seeking people and organizations willing to become part of the national ecosystem that makes Blue Roots possible.
What We Are Seeking
Stations
Individuals or households with spare rooms who are aligned with URE's values and willing to participate in our safety and accountability process.
Healers and Mental Health Professionals
Practitioners trained in anticarceral care who can support participants throughout their residency.
Third Spaces and Community Spaces
Arts spaces, organizing spaces, cultural spaces, and community programs where participants can build connection and belonging.
Resource Hubs and Direct Service Organizations
Organizations serving or supporting LGBTQ+ communities that can connect participants to local resources, services, and networks.
Health Providers
Holistic and traditional health providers committed to supporting BTGNC participants.
Support Sibs
BTGNC kin willing to connect with and support Passengers throughout their eight week journey.
Advisory Board and Community Safety Committee Members
Community members with experience in organizing, care, safety, housing, and accountability who can help guide the development of the program.
Cybersecurity and Community Safety Specialists
People with expertise in digital security, risk assessment, privacy, and community safety who can help strengthen the infrastructure surrounding the residency.
Travel Sponsors
Individuals, organizations, airlines, transportation providers, or other partners willing to support participant travel and transportation.
Blue Roots is an invitation to create change in a way that does not depend on a single institution, city, policy, or political moment to keep our people safe.
We create our freedom, one trusted relationship at a time.
