Agency Serving a Vulnerable Population

Agency Serving a Vulnerable Population

Ali Forney Center

Everyone knows that homelessness is a big problem that affects communities all over the world. As a result of the continuing economic downturn and the growing number of foreclosures, more and more people live on the streets in the United States. People who just got out of prison, people who don't have health insurance, and young adults are overrepresented in the homeless population. The Ali Forney Facility is the most important place in the US for LGBT people (Krogh, 2021). Its main goal is to help LGBTQ young people who are homeless (Ali Forney Center, n.d.). The city of New York is where it is. The AFC is in charge of putting together and running temporary housing for its members. Ali Forney, a transgender girl who was killed in New York City in 1997, is remembered by the Ali Forney Club (AFC).

History and Mission

Since 2002, AFC has helped LGBTQ youth without a home in New York. The business is said to have been started by Carl Siciliano. When the AFC first opened, there were only six beds. Siciliano, who had a good working relationship with Forney, talks about how hard it was to get money for the organization when it first started. By 2007, the Ali Forney Facility had 32 beds and 50 workers. It also had a drop-in center where people could get full services. These services included free medical care, antiretroviral therapy, clean places to stay, training for jobs, and help to find work. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused a lot of problems at the call center. Ally Sheedy held a fundraiser to help get the drop-in center back open. Through digital media and word of mouth, $100,000 was raised in just one day. In 2015, Ali Forney Center opened a Bea Arthur Home. In her will, Bea Arthur gave $300,000 to the Ali Forney Center and named a new building after herself. In 2009, Arthur's donation made it possible for the homeless shelter to keep running.

In 2012, the New York City Council and the governor of Manhattan agreed to put $3.3 million toward fixing up the Bea Arthur House. In 2005, Arthur did a one-woman show called "Bea Arthur on Main Street: Between Only Friends" that made $40,000 for her. This was about the $200,000 she left in her will to the Ali Forney Center (Norman-Major, 2018). As the group has grown and paid for its costs, it has also gotten money from many different places. After the recession took away $450,000 in funding, the Episcopal Archdiocese of Staten Island gave $200,000 to help keep the group going. Ali The goal of the Ali Forney Clinic is to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangers of homelessness and help them become safe and independent as they move from being a teenager to an adult (Yu, 2010). The management “Our main goal is to have philanthropic organizations, like foundations and nonprofits, that are more connected to the people and communities that have been hurt the most by structural racism and other forms of systemic inequality, and that also listen more to what those people and communities say and suggest. We think that as we get closer to that goal, the communities and people who are at the center of our work, especially those who are most affected but are often consulted the least by philanthropy and nonprofit organizations, will be better off in ways that they define for themselves.”

Population targeted

The Ali Forney Clinic helps LGBTQIA+ 16–24-year-olds who are homeless and want to make sure they are safe, independent, and successful in life (Yu, 2010). With more than 19 years of experience helping LGBTQIA+ youth in need, Ali Forney Center is the best place in New York and across the country for this group to get excellent services and a safe place to live.

Provided Services and Programs at the Ali Forney Center

AFC is the only organization in New York City that helps LGBTQIA+ youth. They offer the following services to LGBTQIA+ youth who are vulnerable and homeless:

• Housing
• Education and preparing for a job
• meeting basic needs like being able to bathe, wear clothes, use personal care products, and wash
• Hot meals and breakfasts to go
• Food and nutrition advice
• Services that help stop HIV
• Health care basics
• Psychological services and psychotherapy are part of mental health services.

The goal of the Ali Forney Center initiative is to tell Ali's story so that a large number of people can learn about him and his legacy.

Client's Requirements

To be served by the AFC, you must be between 16 and 24 years old. The ACF doesn't charge its clients because its main goal is to help homeless teens. "In the fall of 2015, AFC started its first program to help transgender people find a place to live. This 18-bed living family is in a safe part of Brooklyn and offers transmasculine and transfemale AFC people between the ages of 16 and 20 stable housing for about two years (Yu, 2010). This service is a mix of our Urgent Housing and Interim Housing programs. It helps our trans clients meet their real and emotional needs in a safe, accepting place. We give these people the tools they need to become safe, independent adults at our Fall Center.

What I found interesting as a nurse at The Ali Forney Center

This gives me a great chance to talk to LGBTQ young people who are homeless. It gives me a chance to teach them life skills and help young people. Twelve hours are spent on each session. As a nurse, it is my job to keep an eye on the patients and make sure they are getting the right care and services at all times. The administration should do a better job in the area of PTO. People from the LGBTQ community will do well as workers in such a place. People are given more respect and are given a higher status. If you are willing to work long hours, this respectable job can give you a good income.

References

Ali Forney Center. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.aliforneycenter.org/about-us

Krogh, A. (2021). SAFE SPACE-An Emergency Shelter for LGBTQ+ Youth (Master's thesis, The Oslo School of Architecture and Design).

Norman-Major, K. (2018). Thinking outside the box: Using multisector approaches to address the wicked problem of homelessness among LGBTQ youth. Public Integrity, 20(6), 546-557.

Yu, V. (2010). Shelter and transitional housing for transgender youth. Journal of gay & lesbian mental health, 14(4), 340-345.