a clothing closet and laundry facilities, three meals a day, support groups and mental health services, education and employment programs, access to the Center’s medical clinic, addiction recovery services and whatever support youth need to make a successful life for themselves on their own. As a Federally Qualified Health Center specializing in care for LGBT people, the Center provides a wide-range of free or lowcost culturally competent care to the community, helping ease the financial burden often associated with accessing health care. “We provide a medical home for our community,” said Center Director of Health and Mental Health Services Christopher Brown. “We know that successful treatment includes serving all the needs of our clients, not just their medical symptoms or diagnoses. Our care teams look at everything, from housing, transportation, and employment to mental health needs, everything that can impact a client’s quality of life.” Available services range from HIV/AIDS specialty care, primary care, addiction recovery, transgender care, clinical research, mental health services, HIV/STD testing and prevention, and a pharmacy. The Center’s Senior Services focus on meeting the community’s basic needs while breaking the isolation that many LGBT seniors feel. We provide many of the life-sustaining needs, including food and case management, while providing a wide array of life- and health-enriching programs and activities. Senior Services staff helps clients navigate Social Security, Medicare, Veteran’s Administration benefits, and more. And clients can access other Center services, including medical care, legal services, and mental health counseling. The Center’s Triangle Square is the world’s first affordable housing development for LGBT seniors. “More than half of the Center’s senior clients live on less than $2,000 a month. More than 60 percent of Triangle Square residents live on less than $800 per month and struggle to meet their basic needs, such as housing, food, and medication expenses,” said Mills. “The Center and the programs, activities, care, and opportunities we provide are literally lifelines for our seniors.” All of the Center’s programs and services help provide a safety net for the community, working to keep themselves out of poverty and free from hunger. The Transgender Economic Empowerment Project (TEEP) offers a wide range of services to help transgender people find employment and to help make workplaces more welcoming to trans people. No matter how people access the Center’s services, and whatever service they receive, each person receives the same thing: hope…at a rate of 42,000 client visits each month. The Fight Against LGBT Hunger Needs One More Thing: You. Donor support of the Center helps in the fight against hunger in the LGBT community, ensuring the organization’s programs and services are available for the most vulnerable members of the community. Helping to sustain the Center’s extremely efficient infrastructure provides the care that so many people rely upon. Visibility matters. For more than 47 years the Center has been a beacon of hope in the LGBT community. Its programs and services make the life-changing and life-saving difference in the lives of people every day. Now, more than ever, they need the Center. And you.
LGBT adults (18+) were
1.62
times more likely than non-LGBT adults to not have enough money for food last year
Jacob, 24
“You struggle every day. I was born in Georgia and grew up in Virginia. I came to L.A. six years ago and, after I dropped out of school, there was a time when I was on the streets. Being homeless felt like ground zero. You get fed up struggling every day. You do things you don’t want to do, that as a human being you’re not proud of. You’re at your survival point. The Center welcomed me with open arms. Now, I have a different mindset on life, I’m not afraid to excel. If it wasn’t for the Center, I would have no community. We all know what the idea of family is—that’s why we’re so strong as a community. I don’t know what’s going to happen in my life, but it’s going somewhere good. Now this is my story.”
Winter 2016
17