One n Ten is a Phoenix nonprofit serving LGBTQ youth ages 11 to 24 and knows the challenges that LGBTQ youth face.
LGBTQ youth face disproportionate rates of homelessness, housing insecurity and representation in the foster care system according to Children’s Rights. This can contribute to a ripple effect of economic struggle throughout an individual’s life, and One n Ten concentrates this reality in much of their work at the center.
“Roughly 40% of the homeless youth on the street identify as LGBTQ, even though they should only account for 8%,” said Gina Read, Program Manager at One n Ten. “They are already at a disadvantage because even if they have gotten off the streets, they may not have received an education, have suffered trauma, etc…getting out of poverty is extremely hard to do in this day and age.”
Read and everyone at One n Ten is not only aware of this reality, but also makes providing safe and reliable housing for LGBTQ youth living in these situations one of their top priorities and continues to fight an oftentimes uphill battle to do so.
“Safe housing is always a barrier,” said Sebastian Blackwell, One n Ten’s satellite program manager. “We have about ten (housing) units, which is not enough, and we have a long waitlist of youth. We provide resources to other agencies, but oftentimes those agencies are not LGBT-friendly. They don’t know how to serve our trans and non-binary youth.”
One n Ten also dedicates themselves to providing safe emotional spaces as well. This takes the form of everything from group meetings to Camp OUTdoors, the largest LGBTQ summer camp in the country. Fulfilling needs like these is not only their job, but also their passion.
“I think a big part of what we do is holding space,” said Blackwell. “A lot of times youth are not accepted at home, not accepted at school, but when they come to One n Ten, they know they can be themselves.”
One n Ten also offers opportunities for education that are both engaging and important in pop-up groups across Arizona with self-esteem, sex-ed or arts-based programs. The organization makes sure to keep intersectionality at the forefront of their work.
“We offer spaces that are population-specific. We have our queer youth of color group, that is a people of color-only LGBT space for LGBT folks led by staff of color,” said Blackwell. “We also have a group that we’ve recently started where it’s LGBTQ folks who are neurodiverse and on the autism spectrum.”
The organization knows that for all the support, resources and safety that they provide, significant changes still need to be made in the other environments where LGBTQ youth spend the majority of their time; to One n Ten, school is one of the most important places to start.
“I would strongly suggest that all schools go through the Anti-Defamation League and their World of Difference peer training. This training teaches a core group of students anti-bias activities,” said Read. “Then, these students teach all incoming freshmen. It basically sets up a good environment where all students are valued.”
Read said that resources for LGBTQ youth need to go beyond policies on paper- there needs to be real implementation that can be seen in schools’ daily environments.
“Policies are nothing if they are not enforced across the board,” Read said. “Schools need policies that protect all students from harassment and bullying. But they also need to step in when kids are being harassed.”
Everyone at One n Ten knows that their work is never done and that there will always be someone new looking for the emotional and physical resources that they work tirelessly to provide for young people. The organization embraces this by trying to keep their message simple; to be a place where LGBTQ youth can embrace themselves fully and securely, no matter where they’re coming from.
“We’re a space where they can be themselves,” said Blackwell. “Where their names and their pronouns will always be used, we’re a safe space for them to explore who they are and really connect with other LGBTQ folks and the community.”
Contact the reporter at ibayer@asu.edu.
