New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth

Statistics on LGBTQ+ youth homelessness are just the beginning. LGBTQ+ youth also experience higher rates of bullying, sexual assault, violence, trauma, HIV infection, mental health disorders, and substance abuse than their heterosexual peers, which indicates the needs of homeless LGBTQ+ youth go far beyond housing alone. While these youth do cite housing and shelter as their primary need, many may be surprised to learn that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning homeless youth typically rate acceptance and emotional support as their second greatest need. Transgender homeless youth claim transition-related support as their number two need. This includes name/gender marker changes, access to trans-specific healthcare, access to hormones, legal assistance, and community support.

New Alternatives aims to address all of these needs and more with individualized care and long-term support. We recognize that guiding LGBTQ+ homeless youth toward stability and maintaining an accessible support system are crucial if we are going foster an environment where they can thrive and successfully transition to adulthood and self-sufficiency. Our primary goal is to ensure all LGBTQ+ homeless youth who walk through our doors find secure housing, adequate healthcare, opportunities for education and fair employment, and a loving community where they belong.

New Alternatives primarily assists LGBTQ+ youth who are 16–24 years of age and homeless or at risk. We define homelessness broadly to include youth living on the street, youth in shelters or transitional living programs, and youth without a permanent place to stay.

New clients are accepted on a walk-in basis every Monday, Friday, and Sunday. We welcome all youth as they are without judgment and no barriers to entry. Identification and paperwork are not required for registration, and a referral letter is not necessary. Youth can simply walk in and begin receiving services immediately. This zero-barrier-to-entry approach allows us to reach young people who are street homeless and others whose lives are too chaotic and unstable to navigate paperwork, waiting lists, and set appointment times. In addition, we utilize harm-reduction methods that allow us to work with youth deemed "too difficult" or problematic by other organizations and frequently work with clients who have been removed from other agencies or shelters—young people with severe mental illness, challenging behavior, or addiction issues.

We also use a distinctively client-centered approach focused on empowerment. Instead of restricting our clients to a predetermined agenda or set of priorities, we allow them to tell us what issues they need assistance with and to define their own goals. This gives us the opportunity to establish trust and approach each case on an individual, needs-specific basis. Through long-term support and engagement, we can then begin to unravel more difficult issues and trauma that can take years to resolve.

Some of the many services we provide include:

Basic Needs
Nutritious homemade meals, distribution of hygiene supplies, emergency clothing, MetroCards, urgent referrals for shelter, and referrals for primary care and psychiatric support are all part of the ways we meet the essential needs of homeless youth.

Case Management
This is the place for young people to bring their problems. None are too big or small—arrest warrants, finding a long-lost relative, applying for disability benefits, returning to high school or college, back taxes... We help with all of it!

Community-Building Recreational Activities
College tours, barbecues, camping, beach trips, apple picking, holiday celebrations, and trips to conferences are just some of the many activities that we offer throughout the year.

Education
We strive to ensure all youth have the opportunity to learn. Our volunteer tutors are always on hand to assist with GED and SAT preparation, college applications, and financial aid paperwork.

Life Skills Training
Whether the topic is HIV prevention, anger management, nutrition, or conflict resolution, the skills discussed in our weekly life skills group are relevant and vital.

Testing and Prevention
New Alternatives provides onsite STI testing and referrals for comprehensive health services through our partnership with Project Stay.

As a small, independent nonprofit organization, New Alternatives is uniquely situated to help LGBTQ+ homeless youth. In 2008, our founder and Executive Director, Kate Barnhart, recognized there was an unfilled need for continuous, long-term case management after many years of working with this population. Too often, a young person's access to social services was tied to their housing. When transitioning from temporary shelters to more stable housing or between different programs, young people would have to start over again and again with a new case manager resulting in a loss of progress and trust that had been established.

New Alternatives was designed to offer a new solution. It was created to be a standalone organization that provides support and guidance for homeless youth through all stages of homelessness and throughout the entire time, in most cases many years, it takes to become a self-sufficient adult. We also have the flexibility to adapt to the individual needs of our clients and can tailor our support to their specific circumstances. In addition to Kate's leadership, we have amassed a database of over 2,000 volunteers who support our programs and help us provide our services. As a predominately volunteer organization, we are able to accomplish a tremendous amount with a relatively minimal budget.

Our twice-weekly Case Management Clinic offers young people assistance with any challenges or obstacles they may face. They simply need to walk in. We have staff and volunteers available to help with housing, benefits, identification, physical health, mental health, legal issues, education, and employment. We also offer individual counseling and crisis intervention.

Our Sunday Community Dinners provide clients with a homemade meal, a safe space to be with their peers, and a place to discuss issues affecting their daily lives. Clients also have the opportunity to collect hygiene supplies, shop our donated clothing closet, and receive comprehensive HIV & STI testing at these gatherings.

Through our Angel Donor program, we respond to the individual needs of clients and fill urgent requests such as bus tickets home, uniforms for work, household items for a first apartment, college textbooks, and MetroCards for youth starting new jobs. We also offer a variety of client support groups including a weekly life skills group, a book club, a creative writing group, and an HIV peer support group.

In a recent 24-hour period, we helped a young woman completing a drug program get her NYS ID, referred a client with mental illness to the Mental Health Law Project for assistance with disability benefits, helped a young man enroll in classes to become a Nursing Assistant, discussed peer counseling programs with a young woman coping with schizophrenia, helped a client prep for a job interview, reviewed housing options with a young man in an emergency shelter, created a budget with a young woman for her disability payments, completed paperwork necessary to transfer a client with diabetes to a facility where he can cook for himself, and referred a young man feeling unsafe in a city shelter to a safe housing program for LGBTQ+ young adults.

That was just a single day at New Alternatives. Now, imagine what we accomplish each year. We will continue to serve LGBTQ+ homeless youth in New York City and would like to thank the many donors, volunteers, and supporters who make our work possible. Looking ahead, we hope to strengthen and expand our programs and will always strive to ensure the young people we serve are housed, clothed, fed, cared for, and educated.