Destination: Home is a public health intervention center and shelter designed to be multi-faceted and a leader when it comes to LGBTQIA+ rights and advocacy. What sparked the vision for this intervention is the need for social connection among diverse groups of LGBTQIA+ youth and the homelessness which they face. This center functions as a as a shelter targeting LGBTQIA+ youth within a specific radius. Although it functions as a shelter, there is also internal and external programming and outreach which is facilitated by professional staff members. These outreach and programming services are available to all members of the community but specifically target LGBTQIA+ youth. This is intentional to build social connection and community among this demographic being that homophobia in society has created a divide which needs to be addressed if the mobilization towards human rights for these identifying individuals is to be achieved. Local policy is a target for community outreach staff of the center. They will be working to increase the visibility of LGBTQIA+ imagery and education within the specified parameter, examples of this includes working with the school districts to ensure there is representation in class curriculum/examples and historical education along with pro-LGBTQIA+ imagery in classrooms. There will also be an aim for school employees to receive training to center sensitivity and trauma-informed approaches to better support LGBTQIA+ students. The same goal is for local business except putting more energy towards bystander intervention techniques to create allies in protection of these individuals. Programming within the center also focuses on health education addressing unhealthy coping mechanisms with drugs and alcohol which may manifest as a result to processing feeling ostracized by society due to identifying as LGBTQIA+ and risky sex behaviors which are associated with higher rates of STDS and other health issues.
The levels of the social ecological model this project will address are on the individual, community, interpersonal, organizational, community and policy. On the individual level, this program will develop the consciousness level of LGBTQIA+ individuals who are a part of the program to understand more what their identity means for them and how it impacts whether their life now or how it can in the future. Through education we will empower individuals to develop in loving themselves for all parts of their identity and identify social support groups they can look for throughout life which gives them the same. Programming at the this center/shelter is structured to build resiliency individually.
On the interpersonal level, this public health intervention will redefine the oppressive social and cultural norms that tend to be internalized in the LGBTQIA+ community. The shelter component works to provide a home for homeless/runaway youth which puts them even more at-risk without the proper resources, guidance and support. In challenging these norms, the principle and importance of building community and finding community and its linkages to individual health and well-being will be consistently reinforced for shelter residents and center programming participants. The programming will be intentional in pinpointing health damaging behaviors accompanied with oppression such as the development of risky sex practices. We strive to center sex positive around this education along with age-appropriate methods catered to specific age ranges. On the community level, this shelter will be intentional about building relationships in the community to be established as a community expert when it comes to LGBTQIA+ affairs. Intentional business and organizational partnerships are to be sought out for purposes of creating LGBTQIA+ friendly spaces and leveraging financial resources. Creating safer spaces for members of the resource center in the greater community is essential for us in our organization mission because it will translate to understanding that the psychological safety established in the resource center can exist in other areas of their world as well. This community outreach work impacts the policy level in our advocacy for specific organizations such as in local schools. A specific goal of the center for this environment would be to mainstream queer sex education in the already existing curriculum. It is important for us to do this because we also realize not every LGBTQIA+ identifying individual may understand their own identity without the foundation knowledge or understanding of the fluidity which exist in this nature.
Comments (0)