The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth Receives $210,000
The Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County has awarded a $210,000 planning grant to the newly formed Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ) Youth. The Alliance is made up of six highly respected community organizations, including: Equality Florida, Switchboard of Miami, GLSEN South Florida, Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Pridelines Youth Services and The YES Institute.
“This grant is an historic win for the GLBTQ youth in Miami-Dade and will result in a tremendous new model for the rest of the state and the nation,” said Michael Dentato, Director of Clinical Services at Switchboard of Miami. “Through the Alliance, we will connect GLBTQ youth with desperately needed education and recreation programs, mental health counseling, and public policy and advocacy programs.
The grant represents the culmination of a yearlong effort to gain funding for GLBTQ youth services and will be used to research and design a plan for a comprehensive system of care to meet the needs of Miami Dade’s youth. The resulting plan will be submitted through an application process to the Children's Trust for funding that is likely to exceed one million dollars a year.
“We are thrilled to fund this needed partnership and have watched these six organizations work tirelessly on behalf of this community,” said Mo Abety, CEO of the Children’s Trust. Other collaborating organizations on the project include Care Resource, Haitian Women of Miami (FAMN), Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), South Beach AIDS Project, South Florida AIDS Network and The United Way of Miami-Dade.
The Alliance for GLBTQ Youth serves Miami-Dade County’s GLBTQ youth and their families by providing a full range of services, while striving to continually advocate for the equal rights and status of all youth regardless of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
###
