What We Do
The Brave House is a community of support for young immigrant and refugee women and gender-expansive youth, ages 16-24, in New York City, with a focus on survivors of gender-based violence.

We provide free legal aid, community events, and holistic services, including leadership training, one-on-one advocacy, mental health support, job and school assistance, support for new and expecting moms, and much more.

Our History
Launched in 2018, the Brave House was born out of our founder's work as an immigration attorney at another non-profit in New York, where she gained a unique perspective regarding the complex challenges that immigrant children face and the gaps in access to crucial services such as help with school, health insurance, mental health services, housing, and finding community.  ​​ 

​Innovation
As the first and only non-profit in NYC to work specifically with young immigrant women and gender-expansive youth, the Brave House is able to provide tailored services designed for this population. This focus helps facilitate a cohesive community, specialized legal strategies, and impactful events.
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​We distinguish ourselves from other non-profits because the youth we work with co-create, lead, and design our programs. We believe that the impacted population should be at the forefront of decision-making. In addition to our Board of Directors and Advisory Board, consisting primarily of immigrants, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, we have a Youth Leadership Board consisting of current Brave House members. This board helps us to listen to the voices of our members and implement their ideas into our strategic planning.​

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Our Services

Our focus on young immigrant women and gender-expansive youth ages 16-24 allows us to provide tailored, trauma-informed services, facilitate a cohesive community of young people with shared experiences, and hone specialized legal strategies. Having a narrowly focused target population helps ensure that our events and programs are inclusive, accessible, and impactful. Our advocacy gives our members the tools and tailored support systems to thrive, lead, and belong in New York City. Click below to explore our services.

 

Legal Advocacy

At our core, the Brave House ensures that our members receive the humanitarian protections that they deserve through free and trauma-informed legal advocacy. We want to not only provide young immigrant women with attorneys, but also bridge the gap in legal literacy for this population - demonstrating to our members that they deserve to have an informed and active role in their case.

 

Mental Health Support

We engage in mental health advocacy from many different angles, because we know that mental health is at the center of our members’ daily lives and greatly impacts their relationships to school, work, family, and self. We believe that on-site support in a space they are already comfortable with is an effective and impactful way of reaching our community.

 

Jobs, School, and Leadership Support

We’re committed to creating spaces for professional, educational, and personal growth that are inclusive and nurturing, and our goal is to break down barriers and provide the long-term skills and platform to spark change and access economic mobility and freedom. 

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Community

We emphasize joy practices, or infusions of intentional love and fun, in every aspect of our work at the Brave House. From providing opportunities for lightheartedness at events to celebrating our member’s birthdays and accomplishments, we believe that providing our community with spaces to experience joy, fun, and liveliness plants seeds of worth and possibility in young immigrants.

 

​​​Meet Our Team

​Team

Advisors

Be Brave

 

Country Map​

Below is a map with all Brave House members' countries of origin!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

 

The Brave House is committed to co-creating spaces where youth from all backgrounds can connect, heal, and grow together. Our community celebrates young people from all over the world, and we welcome youth who identify as female and gender-expansive. We believe that members should be at the forefront of decision-making and determining what programs we offer, how we approach issues that affect their communities, and how the organization is led. We strive to foster belonging for the community we serve and are active in our effort to seek and center diverse perspectives within our team.