LGBTQ 101: Cultural Competency and Anti-Discrimination in Homeless Services
LGBTQ 101: Cultural Competency and Anti-Discrimination in Homeless Services - September 24th 2024
Presented by Bree Easterling and Carey Gibbons
This training will take place at our NEOCH office September 24th 2024 at 10AM - 2PM. The LGBTQ+ 101 workshop will be led by Bree Easterling (They/Them) and Carey Gibbons (She/They), who are respected LGBTQ advocates in our community. As the training is conducted in person, there is limited space available for 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional sessions will be offered on November 5, 2024. Registration for this event is $30 which allows us to prepare for future speakers and trainings.
Learn how best to meet the needs of LGBTQ people who come to your organization for help, and how to make them feel welcomed. Participants will gain a basic understanding of the queer and trans experience, what it’s like for LGBTQ people to seek assistance from social service organizations, and how to overcome their unique barriers to housing. Participants will also learn what anti-LGBTQ discrimination looks like in housing access and other systems, what the law says about it, and how they can advocate for progress.
The first session will outline terms and definitions, and provide basic cultural competency information necessary for working with LGBTQ clients. It will also cover the lived experience of queer and trans people, the layers of trauma they carry with them. We will also provide an overview of the current standing of LGBTQ housing rights and discrimination. This includes current protections under the law, challenges to those protections, and best practices for service providers to combat discrimination. Participants will leave with a clear picture of where LGBTQ anti-discrimination efforts currently stand, and where further advocacy is needed.
The second session will build on the information from Day 1, and turn it into action steps. We will discuss best practices within homeless and social services, in order to affirm our LGBTQ clients. We’ll also take a look at non-discrimination policies, how to navigate them, and where they can be strengthened. Then we’ll break into small groups to practice trouble-shooting scenarios that often come up when trying to meet the needs of LGBTQ clients.
Bree Easterling, NEOCH’s Social Justice Advocate of the Year Award winner, is known for their work organizing and advocating for Care Response, LGBTQ+ Rights, and social justice in the Cleveland community. Bree’s background in social justice advocacy, community engagement, and supportive research, positions them as a champion in the fight for equity and liberation. Their commitment to abolitionist activism, centered on Black queer liberation, reflects their steadfast passion for fostering a society that is both just and inclusive.
Carey Gibbons is NEOCH’s LGBTQ+ Navigation and street outreach and is known for their work with LGBTQ+ folks who are homeless or at-rick. In her 30s she was able to work for the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, where she was a Youth Program Coordinator and Community Engagement Coordinator. After her time at the LGBT Center, she took a position at May Dugan Center as a Crisis Coordinator. They saw firsthand the many disparities LGBTQ folks experience accessing services and resources.
Can’t make it? Consider donating to our Future is Queer! Fund.
In receiving your donation NEOCH is able to support staff and also provide the necessary resources for the LGBTQ+ community who are experiencing homelessness.