Name of Organization Center on Halsted Contact Modesto Valle
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Center on Halsted’s FY2016 Community Health Care Report For Washington Square Health Care Foundation Name of Organization Center on Halsted Contact Modesto Valle, Chief Executive Officer Address 3656 N Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60613 Phone/Email 773-472-6469/[email protected] Mission Center on Halsted (COH) advances community and secures the health and well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people of Chicagoland. 1. Identify the high risk/underserved and/or disadvantaged populations in the community that you serve and describe specifically the actions you have taken, based on relevant assessment data, to increase their accessibility to health services. Center on Halsted’s Youth Program serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Approximately 50% of the youth we serve are homeless or unstably housed. Based on these numbers and the data provided by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) in 2014 which estimates that over 12,000 youth are homeless in the City of Chicago as well as the City of Chicago estimates that 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ, Center on Hasted conducted a feasibility study that addressed possible solutions to the youth homelessness issue. As a result, Center on Halsted is moving forward with a plan of action that will increase these youths’ access to behavioral health services as well as their access to HIV prevention, testing, education and linkage to medical care. 2. Describe specifically the strategies you have used to gather input from high risk, underserved and/or disadvantaged population and their leaders as a basis for program or service development. Center on Halsted conducts surveys on a regular basis with the LGBTQ community on a regular basis that gathers input about the needs and wants of the community. Over 35,000 individuals come into the Center each year for many different types of programming. COH gathers information from all participants about who they are and what they need from their community center. The programs where we gather information consist of both public programming and social service programming including: Community and Cultural Programs provided a diverse array of activities as follows: Center on Halsted partners with renowned cultural institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Urban League, Joffrey Ballet, and the Chicago History Museum to coordinate cultural events and programming; hosted art openings eight times each year that showcase the work of established and emerging LGBTQ artist; and provides family activities that include open play in the Butler-Vanderlinden Child Space, annual Halloween and Holiday parties, and screening films through a partnership with the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. These programs reached over 10,500 patrons in FY15. Center on Halsted’s FY2016 Community Health Care Report For Washington Square Health Care Foundation Silver Fork Program provided in-depth training in the hospitality industry for LGBTQ adults and allies who are unemployed or underemployed as well as intensive case management services to remove barriers to employment. While this program had to reduce personnel due to state funding cuts, Silver Fork just completed its 17th cohort since its inception in 2011. In 2015 we trained 40 chefs, and have trained 256 chefs since the program began. Dr. David J. Lochman Cyber Center is a fully equipped and accessible computer lab with 20 computer stations that provides free online access, job readiness classes, job search programs, and technology training classes on a variety of topics. We also partnered with other agencies to provide specialized resources. Cyber Mondays is a weekly walk-in time for transgender and gender non-conforming identified people of all ages to connect to TransWorks, an employment program of the TransLife Center at Chicago House. Participants received support with trans- specific questions related to employment or general help with a resume, cover letters, job searches, interview skills, presentation at work and more! It served nearly 2,800 users in 2015. Billie Jean King Recreation Hall hosted athletic events and programs such as open gym volleyball, floor hockey and women's basketball, as well as five recreational leagues and yoga, Pilates, ballroom dancing, Zumba and other classes. Billie Jean King Recreation Hall was also the site of other community events including World AIDS Day and community health fairs where the public can receive information about many health concerns including HIV and STIs. In FY15, over 3,500 people used our recreational facility. Senior Programs provided benefits check-ups, congregate meals four times a week, health and wellness activities, and technology classes, friendly home-visitors for elders who are isolated, homebound, or limited in mobility, constituent advocacy, and, the first LGBTQ-specific home sharing program in the country. In our first year since the Town Hall Apartments opened, we have provided services to 16 residents who are HIV+ or have AIDS. Our HIV/AIDS and Behavioral Health Counseling staff have been able to seamlessly provide care and services to this vulnerable population. COH’s Senior Programs served 500 participants in FY15. Behavioral Health Services (BHS) provided 6500 hours of affirming individual, group, partner and family psychotherapy to 960 community members in 2015, as well as support groups on a variety of topics including coming out, grief and loss, and living with HIV. The Sexual Orientation & Gender Institute (SOGI), provided licensed training for close to 200 mental health graduate students and LGBTQ competency training for practitioners in FY15. In partnership with our resident partner, Northwestern University’s IMPACT Program at Feinberg School of Medicine, COH received the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' grant for providing LGBTQ- specific training in mental health services to psychology and psychiatry residents. Department of HIV/AIDS & STD Services is comprised of the State of Illinois AIDS/HIV & STD Hotline, which offers individualized risk assessments, comprehensive referrals, and information about HIV/AIDS and STDs to callers in the State of Illinois; the HIV Testing & Prevention Program, which provides free, rapid, and confidential HIV testing to clients on an appointment Center on Halsted’s FY2016 Community Health Care Report For Washington Square Health Care Foundation or walk-in basis; and HIV Support Services, which provides individuals who are at risk for or who have tested positive for HIV with up to eight free counseling sessions, and ensures an HIV positive client’s connection to primary medical care. Center on Halsted also has a combined program between its HIV/AIDS Services and the Youth Program Departments that’s focus is to reduce risk and increase HIV Education among teens and youth. During Center on Halsted’s 2015 Fiscal Year, over 5,200 individuals were tested for HIV, and more than 8,200 calls were answered through its HIV Hotline. We linked 85 HIV positive individuals to medical care and social services benefit programs. Youth Program, offered six diverse tracks of afternoon and evening programming Monday through Saturday designed around the following themes: Arts and Culture; Critical Thinking and Education; Leadership and Activism; Recreation and Sports; Vocation and Professional Development; and Sexual Health and Identity, as well as mentoring from adult allies, case management services, group and individual counseling, and other support services that ensure that every youth has the resources needed to lead a happy and successful adult life. In FY15 the Youth Program reached a total of 400 young people, ages 13-24 and over 1,000 via outreach activities. 3. Describe specific partnerships with other providers and community-based organizations to promote continuity of health care for high risk/underserved and/or disadvantaged populations. Medical Referrals for HIV and other medical needs are made to the Howard Brown Health Center; Housing Referrals are made to TPAN, Chicago House and Heartland Alliance; Behavioral Health Referrals clients who need a higher level of care are made to Chicago Lakeshore Hospital and community Counseling Centers of Chicago. 4. Provide two examples of how you have used the community-oriented approach to program development specified in the guidelines. Include in each description components of the current program and the following quantitative information for the most recent year available. Youth Programming Strategy The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) estimates that 12,186 youth (ages 14 to 21) made up 8.8% percent of Chicago’ s homeless population in the year that ended June 30, 2014. The City of Chicago estimates indicate that nearly 40% identify as LGBT. With only 245 beds available for youth, the City of Chicago is drastically unprepared to address the problem. In order to help meet the needs of at-risk and homeless youth, Center on Halsted launched Youth Program Strategy initiative to seek solutions and implement plans to reduce LGBTQ youth homelessness. LGBTQ homeless youth are at risk for a host of problems. They are overrepresented in the homeless youth population, the foster care population and the juvenile justice populations. Center on Halsted’s FY2016 Community Health Care Report For Washington Square Health Care Foundation More than 25% are kicked out of their homes when they come out. They are more likely to have experienced child abuse and/or sexual abuse than their straight peers, and more likely to be robbed, physically and/or sexually assaulted on the streets than heterosexual homeless youth. As a consequence, they are more likely to engage in unsafe sex, substance abuse and criminal behaviors, just to survive. On any given night, the City of Chicago estimates that there are 10,000 homeless youth ages 14-21 in Chicago. With an estimated 40% being LGBTQ, there are more than 4,000 homeless LGBTQ youth living on Chicago’s streets. To that end, Center on Halsted has launched the LGBTQ Youth Program Strategy initiative. Center on Halsted conducted a feasibility assessment addressing two potential youth programming and housing strategies: 1.