In a powerful move for the community, reality TV star and longtime LGBTQ+ advocate Ts Madison just opened the doors to a new safe space in Atlanta, Georgia. As reported by NBC News on Saturday (April 5), the Ts Madison Starter House is designed specifically for formerly incarcerated Black transgender women — a group that faces some of the harshest barriers when it comes to rebuilding their lives. “This is about providing not only shelter, but access to opportunities they’ve been denied,” Madison told the outlet.
The Ts Madison Starter House re-entry program provides all levels of support for Black trans women
Launched in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility (which you can read more about here), the house will welcome up to five residents at a time for a 90-day program that offers way more than just a roof over their heads. In addition to stable housing, participants will get job help, mental health therapy, GED support, nutrition education and gender-affirming health care, all things that can be especially hard to access for people who’ve been locked out of basic resources.
Madison, who’s known for “The Ts Madison Experience” on We TV, has never been shy about sharing her own story, including experiences with homelessness and doing sex work to survive. Now, she’s creating a path for others to do things differently. “I wanted to make space for these girls,” she said. “I wanted to teach them how to be successful without relying on their bodies [and instead use] their other gifts.”
Madison isn’t doing this work alone. Dominique Morgan, the executive director of Black and Pink (a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ people impacted by incarceration), helped bring the Starter House to life. She also teamed up with NAESM, Inc., an Atlanta-based nonprofit focused on health care and HIV/AIDS support for the Black LGBTQ+ community.
Morgan, who served nearly a decade in prison herself, knows the stakes firsthand. “This project isn’t just about housing — it’s about creating a space where Black trans women can thrive, not just survive,” she said. She also made it clear the program doesn’t leave people hanging after the designated time frame. “After 90 days, when they graduate, they’re not being thrown out into the world alone,” she expressed. “They have a network, a community and a group of people who are there to support them.”
That support looks different for each person. “We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all model,” Morgan added. “Some residents might need job prep. Others may need mental health support or to learn how to cook healthy meals.”
What really makes the Ts Madison Starter House stand out? It’s community-funded with no government money involved. That was intentional, Madison confirmed, especially at a time when trans rights are being stripped away across the country. “This is funded by the people, for the people,” she said. “Even with the government cutting funding, we don’t need them. We have each other. It’s kind of like an underground railroad."
Ts Madison’s upcoming docuseries will highlight Black trans women’s re-entry journey
Madison is already documenting the Starter House journey for a new docuseries, but don’t expect chaos for the cameras. She made it clear this isn’t another messy reality show. “We’re not doing it like a 'Baddies,'” she stated. “No, these are the girls overcoming. These are the triumphs... This is about possibility and transformation, not exploitation.”
For Morgan, the docuseries is about visibility — showing what’s possible for Black trans women when they’re given support instead of stigma. “Historically, queer people who are most accepted are the ones the public sees. That’s why this matters,” she said.