Preserving Primary and Behavioral Health Care for Homeless Youth

Grantee Name

The Metropolitan Community Church of New York

Funding Area

Publication Date

January 2013

Grant Amount

$50,920

Grant Date:

November 1, 2010 – October 31, 2011

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The Metropolitan Community Church of New York (MCCNY) pioneered one of the most replicable programs in the world for addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning/intersex (LGBTQI) runaway and homeless youth.

This program blends case management with medical and psychiatric services and is critical to combating recidivism and other common problems within the homeless LGBTQI youth population. These youth frequently report higher rates of mental illness and past trauma than their heterosexual counterparts: nearly three-fourths meet the criteria for a mood disorder, and one-fourth have attempted suicide. For several years, MCCNY partnered with St. Vincent’s School of Adolescent Medicine to provide on-site clinical services. However, the school’s subsequent closure threatened the future of this program.

In 2010, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) awarded a grant to MCCNY to sustain its quality medical services while it developed a partnership with another clinical provider. In addition, MCCNY arranged to receive several social work interns each year from Hunter College. Until MCCNY fully realized its new partnership, it relied on NYHealth funds to continue to provide behavioral health services for its homeless and runaway LGBTQI youth.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

Continued to provide on-site medical services for youth with more than 160 youth served in the first six months of the program; however, MCCNY Homeless Youth Services lost both of its on-site health care providers by mid-year because of lack of funding. Staff members continued to provide referrals to youth six days a week.
Transferred management of medical services to and established new linkages with the following outside service providers, in response to the discontinuation of on-site services: APICHA, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton Community Health Center, Harlem United, and Our Collective Mental Health;
Integrated more than 50 youth into long-term medical care through linkages;
Successfully referred 114 youth to transitional independent living programs after they completed short-term crisis counseling;
Developed a referral manual to guide youth to appropriate partner providers; and
Developed a survey with Catalyst Research to help MCCNY Homeless Youth Services better target services to the youth population while establishing new linkages.

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