The seven organizations that received CRDP LGBTQ Implementation Pilot Project grants are mostly small, community-based organizations that are providing promising mental health interventions that focus on LGBTQ populations.
The Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity
The Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity was founded in 2011 to provide a sense of community, self-respect, and hope to the Bakersfield LGBTQ community. The Center’s services are available to all, regardless of their sexual or gender identities, and participation by non-LGBTQ allies is welcome in the Center’s efforts. In addition to the Center’s work with LGBTQ persons, family members, and allies, staff create alliances with the greater Bakersfield and Kern County social service, business and political communities. The Center is the only brick and mortar community center in the county dedicated to empowering and supporting LGBTQ individuals in achieving full and rewarding lives within a traditionally conservative county.
The Center’s CDEP is to use its Safe Space to implement its RISE program (Reducing Isolation through Support and Empowerment), which will provide structured, facilitated group sessions customized for each distinct population identified as having the highest need for prevention and early intervention in reducing incidence of mental illnesses. The Center’s initial populations identified were transgender young adults, bisexual adults, and LGBTQ seniors. Other populations identified to date include LGBTQ youth and adults, and the parents and family members of LGBTQ youth. Formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Center of Bakersfield, the Center changed its name to the more inclusive Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity early in the CRDP initiative.
Visit www.glcenterbak.org to learn more.
Gender Health Center
Gender Health Center’s CDEP is a PEI program that focuses on the needs of trans and queer people of color at the core of all programming. It aims to prevent and/or reduce risk of mental health impacts resulting from systemic violence – including suicide, depression, isolation, anxiety, unemployment, homelessness, school failure and dropout. By decreasing stigma and social isolation, and increasing access to culturally affirming relationships, GHC’s CDEP is designed to address lack of access to mental health services, improve quality of mental health services, and build on community strengths to increase capacity and empowerment.
Visit www.genderhealthcenter.org to learn more
Gender Spectrum
Gender Spectrum’s mission is to create a gender-inclusive world for all children and youth. To accomplish this, Gender Spectrum helps families, organizations, and institutions increase understandings of gender and consider the implications that evolving views have for each of us.
Gender Spectrum provides an array of services to help youth, families, organizations and institutions understand and address concepts of gender identity and gender expression, including how societal, cultural, organizational and community definitions of gender can be detrimental to any young person that does not fit neatly into these categories.
Visit www.genderspectrum.org to learn more.
LGBTQ Connection
Napa and Sonoma Counties are only an hour north of San Francisco, but they are worlds apart in terms of visibility and community for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning people in these communities. To address the glaring lack of resources and inclusion, LGBTQ Connection was born in the Spring of 2011. LGBTQ Connection, an initiative fueled by youth and other emerging leadership, fosters a healthier, more vibrantly diverse and inclusive community. Each year, LGBTQ Connection engages 3,500 LGBTQ people, their families, and their community, and trains 500 providers from local organizations across Northern California to increase the safety, visibility, and well-being of LGBTQ residents. In Napa and Sonoma Counties, the program operates local LGBTQ community centers, supporting underserved LGBTQ youth and elders. The Napa and Sonoma County offices of LGBTQ Connection provide a safe and trusted space to cultivate hubs of vibrant activities and caring community. LGBTQ Connection is a program of On The Move, a 501(c)(3) that partners with communities and mobilizes emerging leaders to take action in pursuit of social equity.
Visit www.lgbtqconnection.org to learn more.
Openhouse
Openhouse enables San Francisco Bay Area LGBT seniors to overcome the unique challenges they face as they age by providing housing, direct services and community programs. As a result, Openhouse has reduced isolation and empowered LGBT seniors to improve their overall health, well-being and economic security. Openhouse recognizes and affirms that LGBT older adults live at intersections of race, ethnicity, class, culture, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, spirituality and ability. Openhouse is committed to creating a safe environment to encourage and support participants to share their diverse perspectives and identities to foster dynamic community engagement.
Openhouse’s goal is for every LGBT senior to live in safe and stable housing that is affordable to them; be welcomed and treated appropriately by housing, social service and healthcare providers throughout each stage of life across the entire continuum of care; and be engaged with and supported by communities of their choice.
Visit www.openhouse-sf.org to learn more.
San Francisco Community Health Center
SFCHC Center will deliver the “Let’s Connect” intervention, a prevention and early intervention program that aims to prevent and/or reduce a number of mental health disparities facing LGBTQ people. The intervention impacts specific mental health-related problems by improving community resilience by developing social support, empowering participants, and reducing stigma, isolation and barriers to care, through:
- Culturally and linguistically appropriate community outreach and engagement efforts,
- Early identification and accurate assessment of mental health needs, and
- Addressing the social and environmental determinants of health such as education, employment, and income through the provision of wraparound services
Visit sfccc.org to learn more.
San Joaquin Pride Center
Established in 2011, the San Joaquin Pride Center (SJPC) has quickly become the central hub for the LGBT+ community within the county. From Day 1, SJPC has embraced the uniqueness of each letter within that long acronym that makes the LGBT+ rainbow umbrella. Representation matters, and creating safe spaces and advocating for each demographic within the rainbow acronym is always a top consideration. SJPC focuses on intersectionality and the unique cultural challenges of the Central Valley.
SJPC has developed a robust program around cultivating LGBT+ acceptance throughout San Joaquin County. Through youth advocacy and empowerment, mental health support services, transgender awareness, advocacy, and health services, SJPC is on the forefront of reducing disparities for this targeted population. SJPC’s program addresses the discrimination and social exclusion issues, health needs, social and environmental conditions, and quality of mental health care of the LGBT+ community of the Central Valley.
Visit www.sjpridecenter.com to learn more.