Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
“City Hall will continue to champion and support New Yorkers of every identity,” Mayor Adams said.
By Forum Staff
The City has invested nearly $6.7 million to provide new and expanded services for the LGBTQ+ community, Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday.
Funding will support:
Culturally Competent Civil-Legal Services for LGBTQ+ Community ($1 million)
The Unity Project, in collaboration with the Office of Civil Justice at the City Department of Social Services and the Office of Crime Victim Supports at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, will launch a new initiative that funds legal services for the LGBTQ+ community. City legal service providers will be funded to serve income-eligible LGBTQ+ New Yorkers experiencing discrimination in housing, employment, or public accommodations; landlord harassment; denial of service or government benefits.
Family Acceptance of LGBTQ+ Youth ($1.5 million)
Family rejection is among the primary drivers of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness across the country. Locally, LGBTQ+ and non-binary youth represent roughly 50 percent of youth experiencing homelessness. This initiative will promote parental and family acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth through educational workshops, parent support groups, role model stories, and social marketing campaigns.
Peer Navigators and Financial Literacy for Runaway and Homeless Youth ($3 million)
LGBTQ+ youth and young adults are disproportionately represented among youth experiencing homelessness. The Peer Navigator program will provide 16 young adults with lived experience of homelessness full-time work across the eight Runaway Homeless Youth drop-in centers administered by DYCD. The Financial Literacy program is a partnership between the City Department of Youth and Community Development and the City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. It places a financial counselor at each of the eight RHY drop-in centers.
TGNC/NB-Led Non-Profit Capacity Building Innovation Grants ($183,500)
The Unity Project and DYCD are starting a new initiative to support TGNC/NB-led non-profit capacity building with targeted grants. Community-based TGNC/NB-led non-profits serve as a vital lifeline to support TGNC/NB New Yorkers. This program will allow existing TGNC/NB-led non-profits to further serve their communities in the areas of health, mental health, community-building, and other vital areas of need as identified by the TGNC/NB community.
Faith-Based Healing Initiative for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers Who Have Experienced Religious Hate ($350,000)
For too long, LGBTQ+ people have suffered religious hate and discrimination. This reality is all the more painful given that so many LGBTQ+ youth wish to celebrate their faith alongside their families and communities. The Unity Project and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will launch a new community-led, faith-based healing initiative for TGNC/NB and LGBTQ+ people who have suffered religious hate and discrimination.
HIV and Sexual Health Services and Programming ($400,000)
Funding will be expanded for DOHMH’s HIV and sexual health initiatives to further support the New York City Ending the HIV Epidemic Plan, the product of a nearly year-long community planning process to develop strategies and key activities for the next phase of the City’s efforts to end the epidemic.
LGBTQ+ Health Care Bill of Rights and DOHMH Transgender Health Booklets ($150,000)
Funding will be allocated to evaluate the LGBTQ+ Health Care Bill of Rights, which informs New Yorkers of their legal rights in health care settings, empowering them to get the health care they deserve. Funding will also support updates to the DOHMH’s transgender health guides for transgender men and transmasculine individuals as well as transgender women and transfeminine individuals. Updates will incorporate feedback from DOHMH’s Transgender, Gender Nonconforming and Non-Binary Community Advisory Board.
“City Hall will continue to champion and support New Yorkers of every identity,” Adams said.
