2024 YEAR-END IMP REPORT ACT
Those spaces were so important because they gave us a space to be queer and young and safe.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us throughout 2024 and joined us in celebrating our monumental 40th anniversary.
Empowering LGBTQ+ youth for four decades is no small feat, and we could not do this work without the trust, dedication, and unwavering support of our community.
It is truly a privilege to be part of SMYAL’s extraordinary legacy. I am immensely proud of the impact we’ve achieved together over the past 40 years in service to LGBTQ+ youth. Your support has been instrumental in making this progress possible, and I am confident that we will carry this powerful legacy forward into the next 40 years and beyond.
As we look to the immediate future, our focus shifts to brace for the political and cultural challenges that lie ahead. The new administration has made its intentions clear—seeking to roll back vital protections and advancements for LGBTQ+ communities, with a particular focus on the rights and well-being of queer and trans youth.
We’re facing direct attacks on inclusive school curriculums, bodily autonomy and reproductive justice, protections for undocumented communities, and gender-affirming care—areas critical to SMYAL’s mission of “actively creating a world where queer and trans youth thrive.”
For SMYAL, this threat is deeply personal.
Our community has long endured attacks on our dignity and rights, and once again, we stand resolute in the face of these challenges. The urgency of the moment is clear, and your continued allyship and action are more vital now than ever.
Together, let’s confront this moment with courage, unity, and an unshakable commitment to fiercely advocating for LGBTQ+ youth. Over the next four years, and beyond, we will do whatever it takes to ensure that every young person feels safe, valued, and free.
On behalf of the entire team at SMYAL, I thank you for your continued support. The work ahead will be challenging, but with your partnership, we are ready to face it. We look forward to another year of progress, solidarity, and growth.
With Gratitude and Determination,
Erin Whelan, LPC-S She/Her Executive Director
SMYAL In the News
“What happens when no one at drop-in centers, when no one at Permanent Supportive Housing case management, when no one at the shelter hotline, when no one speaks Spanish? Where is the accountability?”
-Sierra Barnedo, Bilingual Street Outreach Manager
“SMYAL would become my touchstone and the place I would look forward to going to every week. I met so many friends and even my high school boyfriend there.”
-Michael
Key, SMYAL Alumni
Also featured in...
“There’s a lot of fear that those kids are feeling...One kid actually asked ‘Are they not even gonna allow trans kids to go to school anymore?’”
-Hancie Stokes, SMYAL Director of Communications
40th Anniversary Brunch
SMYAL celebrated our 40th Anniversary at our annual Fall Brunch fundraiser. Joined by over 1,000 supporters, advocates, and community leaders, the 2024 Fall Brunch was our largest and most successful event to-date!
OVER $600K
raised to support programs and services for LGBTQ+ youth
Hosted by
Jaida Essence Hall
RuPaul’s Drag Race Winner
Crystal Edge Local DC Drag Queen
1,000+
attendees joined us at SMYAL’s 40th Anniversary Fall Brunch
295
auction items donated by local businesses, artists, and supporters
Jonathan Capehart, Host, ‘The Saturday/Sunday Show’ on MSNBC
Todd Peterson Award
Heidi M. Ellis Community Advocate Award
Inspiring Speakers
LGBTQ-affirming spaces like SMYAL are not just important—they are essential...They give us the strength to stand tall in our truth, to live authentically, and to love ourselves fully.
—Tiarra Abu Bakr, SMYAL Alumni
Never take for granted the progress and never slow down on standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in this city and with our young people to stand up against hate.
—Mayor Muriel Bowser
Without a home, there is no foundation, which brings chaos and unrest in your life. Having a space to call your own, work from home, eat a homecooked meal, wash up, reconnect with yourself is vital to anyone’s success.
—Alexander Bell, SMYAL Alumni
I’ve often said that our country faces an inflection point in history, a moment where the decisions we make now will determine the course of our future for decades to come. The challenges of our time remind us of the responsibility of a nation to help each other.
—Letter from President Joseph R. Biden
Impact by the Numbers
SMYAL served a total of
Mental Health CounselingPeer and Community Support Housing Services
Clients received affirming therapy at SMYAL in 2024
Clients found support and have completed their therapy journey in 2024
Awarded to 7 scholarship recipients to help them pursue higher education
Campers attended Camp Free2Be for trans & nonbinary youth
Play therapy clients ages 6-12 were enrolled by the end of 2024,
Spanish speaking clients have accessed affirming therapy with our Bilingual Therapist in 2024
Of youth we work with through peer and community support identify as trans or nonbinary 88%
DMV-area elementary and middle schools worked with our SMYALing Schools program in 2024
Bilingual Street Outreach clients received language accessible resource navigation in 2024
Of residents leaving SMYAL’s Youth Housing Programs made safe and stable exits
Residents received wraparound services in SMYAL’s Youth Housing Program in 2024
Of housing residents have obtained and/or maintained employment in 2024 70%
SMYAL hosted and planned 18 special youth events throughout 2024. Events in the second half of the year included:
The SMYAL Scholarships Award Ceremony
A Halloween party field trip to Cox Farms featuring hayrides and a haunted house
Two weeks of community and connection for trans and non-binary youth at Camp Free2Be
The annual SMYAL Youth Holiday Party
Stories That Make
40 Years of Stories
My SMYAL Story
Throughout the past year and a half, SMYAL has been a safe space for me after work or if I need to get out of the house for a couple of hours.
-Trevour, SMYAL Youth
From the Archives
SMYALstone Moments
SMYAL took a trip down memory lane, digging through the archives at the Rainbow History Project to uncover incredible photos, documents, and stories from the organization’s history.
Make Us SMYAL
To every trans and nonbinary youth, remember this: no decision, no law, no societal judgment can change who you are or the incredible strength you carry within you.
SMYAL’s Director of Youth Development and Community Engagement, Rebecca York spoke at the Freedom to Be Ourselves Rally while oral arguments were heard in the US V. Skrmetti Case at the Supreme Court
Transgender Week of Awareness
I want to be a chef and have a bakery that donates to trans right campaigns.
-Little SMYALs Youth on their biggest dream when they grow up
I am so proud to be the mom of my beautiful non-binary child. They have taught me so much about being unapologetically oneself and bringing endless love and joy to the world.
-Little SMYALs parent on what it means to be a caregiver of a trans or nonbinary child
