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United Way excludes Phoenix Rising again
i—
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*
Ten to fifteen percent of the population is gay , yet no
gay agency appears on United Way’s membership list.
In all probability , ten to fifteen percent of
United Way dollars come from gays and lesbians.
BY
HELEN
LOTTRIDGE
nited Way has denied admission
and funding to Phoenix Rising,
Oregon’s only gay/lesbian service
center, for the second year. Application for
admission as a United Way agency was
first made by Phoenix Rising in 1985; at
that time, we were not permitted to go
beyond the point of a letter of inquiry. In
1986, we completed the entire application
process, which extended from October
through May, and we were among eight
finalists of forty original applicants. Dur
ing this process, we received positive
feedback about our application and about
Phoenix Rising as an agency — but no
money.
We were pleased to have the opportun
ity to go through the steps of the applica
tion process: letter of inquiry, formal ap
plication, staff interview and report, ap
pearance of agency representatives before
the admissions committee. We were also
very disappointed at the outcome. 10-15%
of the general population is gay, yet no gay
agency appears on United Way’s member
ship list. In all probability, 10-15% of
United Way dollars come from gay men or
lesbians.
Inevitably, the question arises, “ Were
you excluded because of homophobia?”
It’s a hard one to answer. We found United
Way staff to be professional, informative
and helpful. While the admissions com
mittee was at times somewhat challenging
in their approach, they seemed genuinely
interested and willing to listen to our re
sponses. Still, one has to wonder why we
were not admitted. We meet all the criteria.
The services we offer are on the “ high
U
funding priorities” list as recommended
by the United Way Emphasis Committee
Report. We serve a very large oppressed
minority population which is not supported
by United Way. We’ve demonstrated suc
cess in our eight years of operation. It
seems likely that anything having to do
with the gay community in our society is
affected at least somewhat by homophobia.
Our request, $22,605, was modest
when contrasted with other United Way
agencies. What would we have done with
the money? We would have provided more
low-cost counseling to clients who are un
able to afford it, particularly in the follow
ing groups: adults molested as children,
gay youth, gay families, persons experi
encing domestic violence, persons with
AIDS, ARC and test positive, and men
tally retarded adult gay men. We would
have begun to move out of the emergency
staffing plan we’ve been on for the past
three years. Currently, we have no staff
who are paid full-time, so many hours are
donated. We’re fortunate to have such a
well-qualified and dedicated staff. Eight
years ago we started with volunteer
professional counselors. Now, we hire
only one of every ten applicants, and all of
them have a Master’s or Doctorate degree. ,
Our biggest disappointment is for the
people we could have helped. We’re cur
rently beyond the limits of our ability to
subsidize. Our sliding scale starts at
$15.00, and our average client fee doesn’t
cover the cost of providing services. We
feel fortunate to have found a bright, new
office at the same cost as our old space,
and to have a highly professional staff, but
there’s more work to be done
For eight years, we've depended on the
generosity and support of the gay com
munity to enable us to help our own, and
that’s what we must continue to do. We’re
asking everyone in the community to re
view their charitable contribution plan for
1987-88, and encourage you to donate
within the community, being as generous
as you can.
United Way has developed an “ Inclu
siveness Project” , which reads in part,
“ The mission of United Way is to increase
the organized capacity of people to care for
one another. . . . The goal of the project is
to promote and expand leadership, volun-
teerism and philanthropy in segments of
the community which have previously not
been actively involved within the United
Way system. . . . In an effort to achieve
this goal, several emerging communities
have been identified. These communities
require special assistance in accessing the
UWCW system. They include ethnic
minorities, geographic service areas, sex
ual minorities and the disabled as well as
other underrepresented communities.”
This project reflects United Way’s desire
to encompass a wider spectrum of the
overall community.
We urge you to communicate directly *
with United Way, encouraging them to be
a leader in serving the whole Portland
community, to implement their Inclusive
ness Project. The sheer size of the gay
population in this area makes social services
a priority. Other groups in the Portland
area having special need have found
United Way to be responsive to positive
appeals from community members, so if
you support this effort, please contact
them directly to express your position.
Phoenix Rising is the only lesbian/gay
service center in Oregon. Our clients are
assured of having a gay /gay-knowledge-
able therapist. Although homosexuality
was removed from the list of “ disorders”
by the American Psychological Associa
tion in 1973, it is still difficult to obtain
competent counseling that is both informed
and nonjudgmental about sexual orienta
tion. Many of us have entered into
counseling for other issues, only to be con
fronted by a therapist who was intent on
“ curing” our “ illness” of homosexuality,
and unwilling to work on other presented
issues. At the other extreme, many con
temporary therapists may view themselves
as open, but then insist on ignoring the
issues of homosexuality altogether, having
no understanding about how sexual orien
tation may affect other issues.
Persons wishing to pledge or make tax-
deductible donations to Phoenix Rising
Foundation may do so by mailing them to
333 S.W. 5th, Suite404, Portland, Oregon
97204. The telephone number is 223-8299.
Persons wishing to communicate with
United Way may do so by writing to David
A. Paradine, President, 718 W. Burnside,
Portland, Oregon 97209. The telephone
number is 228-9131.
Helen Lottridge is Executive Director of
Phoenix Rising Foundation.
•
Just Out. 3 . June,
1987