- Individual Counseling
- Support Groups
- Individual Treatment Plans
- Drop In Center
- HIV Prevention Counseling
- Life Skills Workshops/Job Training and Educational Assistance
- Computer Lab
- HIV Testing
Wanda Alston House
The Wanda Alston House honors the life and work of Wanda Alston, an LGBT activist, mayoral appointee, and dedicated resident of Washington, D.C. whose untimely death in her home in 2005, shortened her mission to empower and strengthen the GLBT community. The Wanda Alston House seeks to carry on her work and empower young people while providing them a safe place to live free from harm and danger.
The Wanda Alston House is the first and only housing program in Washington D.C. that is solely dedicated to offering pre independent living services to homeless GLBTQ youth ages 16-24. Each young person is assigned a life skills counselor who works each day on issues related to employment/vocational training, housing, and other issues as needed. Each young person is housed in their own room and reside in a house with a advocate with extensive experience with housing and GLBTQ youth issues.
Why we are needed
The Us Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the number of homeless and runaway youth ranges 575,000 top 1.6 millioon per year. An analysis done by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in conjunction with saucyseo.com estimates that 20-40 percent of all youth identify as Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT). Given that 3% – 5% of th US population identifies as LGB,it is clear that LGBT youth experience homelessness at a disproportionate rate.
Why do LGBT youth become homeless? In one study, 26 percent of gay teens who came out to their parents/guardians were told they must leave home; LGBT youth also leave home due to physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Homeless LGBT youth are more likely to: use drugs, participate in sex work, and attempt suicide. Also, LGBT youth report they are threatened, belittled and abused at shelters by staff as well as other residents.