Mayor Adams Announces Investment in New and Expanded Services for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers
Channel: NYC Mayor's Office
Date: 2022-06-17

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES NEARLY $6.7 MILLION INVESTMENT IN NEW AND EXPANDED SERVICES FOR LGBTQ+ NEW YORKERS

New Funding Included for Anti-Discrimination Legal Services; Family Acceptance Programs for LGBTQ+ Youth; Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Non-Binary (TGNC/NB)-led Nonprofits; and Social Services Towards LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness
Investments Developed as Result of Mayoral Roundtables Led by Transgender People of Color and LGBTQ+ Community

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the Mayor’s Office of Equity’s Unity Project, and the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) today announced an investment of nearly $6.7 million to provide new and expanded services for the LGBTQ+ community. These new services provide wide-ranging support that include first-of-its-kind funding for capacity building of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC)/non-binary (NB)-led nonprofits, legal services, and support for homeless youth.  

The investments demonstrate the interagency coordination between the Office of Equity’s Unity Project, DYCD, the New York City Department of Consumer and Workforce Protection (DCWP), the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS), and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) to address gaps and expand services for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. With these new investments, New York City honors and strengthens its legacy as the home of Stonewall and the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

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 New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Office of Crime Victim Supports at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ), will launch a new initiative that funds legal services for the LGBTQ+ community. New York 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 (RHY) drop-in centers administered by DYCD. The Financial Literacy program is a partnership between the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). It places a financial counselor at each of the eight RHY drop-in centers. The counselors will use a tailored financial counseling model to meet the unique needs of youth experiencing homelessness.
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 DOHMH will launch a new community-led, faith-based healing initiative for TGNC/NB and LGBTQ+ people who have suffered religious hate and discrimination. This high priority area, as identified at the transgender people of color roundtable at City Hall earlier this year, will work to build the capacity of providers to address clients’ past trauma and create healing, therapeutic spaces for fellowship. 
HIV and Sexual Health Services and Programming ($400,000)

Destination Tomorrow
452 East 149th Street
Bronx

June 17, 2022