Adolescents have a difficult time accessing health care and related services.
These problems are daunting to any young person and are magnified if that young person is homeless, or in any state of confusion or crisis. TOPS identified these problems and began to formulate ideas about how to provide a comprehensive program designed to alleviate these barriers so often met by youth. In April 1993 TOPS became the only organization linking counseling and testing, primary care, and tertiary treatment services specifically to teens in lower Manhattan. TOPS Outreach Program consists of a Peer Education Coordinator, three Peer Educators, student interns and volunteers who provide workshops, trainings and technical assistance, attend conferences, and table health fairs. Our workshops are age appropriate, culturally sensitive, and geared towards all sexual orientations.