2 g j i u t
o u t • QCtüûer fi. 2ÛÛÛ
P hoenix
F alling
C ontinued from P age 2 5
What's next?
espite the demise o f Phoenix Rising, ser
vices for sexual minorities are as plenti
ful as ever. Networks Helios Counseling Ser
vices will continue offering mental health
services to all ages and sexual orientations.
Although Helios will work with clients
from all income levels and can accept Medic
aid, Medicare and Oregon Health Plan cover
age as payment, it will not offer low-income
clients a sliding scale. Personnel will assist
qualifying individuals with an application to
the Oregon Health Plan, which will cover at
least some of the mental health services need
ed. Helios also accepts many private health
insurance plans.
But some in the community still will
fall through the cracks without Phoenix Ris
ings sliding scale available to them. C lients
without a permanent address or proper iden
tification cannot qualify for the Oregon
Health Plan.
Individuals with incomes that exceed the
Kathy Beige says that youth
services are vibrant, alive
and growing hut that more
is needed
requirements of the
Oregon Health Plan
hut who cannot af
ford private insur
ance or to pay cash
will not he able to
receive services from
Helios. Watson says
clien ts who fall in
this “uncovered” ca t
egory can seek ser
vices from those pri
vate mental health
professionals
who
still offer a sliding scale.
Network will continue to be a resource for
sexual minority seniors but does not current
ly have any programs in place for this popula
tion. However, Watson personally will help
direct seniors who are in need of assistance to
the proper resources.
Sh e says Network will he looking for
$ 5 ,0 0 0 to publish a new edition of the Senior
Resource Directory early next year. T h e first
edition was published last January with finan
cial support from Equity Foundation, M ult
nomah County and a private donor.
When an ordinary
Realtor sim ply won 7 do...
.......... ..
Youth services a priority
I
he blending of Phoenix Rising’s pro-
grams and those at Network gives Port-
land-area youth more centralized services
than before.
Roots and Branches, a Network program,
will continue to provide case management
services to the area’s sexual minority youth.
T h e newly formed Vanguard Youth Services
will take over management of the Sexual
Minority Youth Recreational Center and has
outreach programs in Clackamas and W ash
ington counties.
Bridge 13, a youth speaker’s bureau to edu
cate the community about sexual minority
youth issues, will operate under Vanguard Youth
Services.
Kathy Beige, a former case manager at
Roots and Branches, recently took over the
youth services program manager’s duties. She
says the Sexual Minority Youth Recreational
C enter serves as a hub for all of the youth
programs.
The facility serves about 500 youths, with 35
to 40 newcomers dropping in every month,
according to Beige.
The center, governed by a Youth Steering
Committee, is filled with an average of 43
youths on weekdays and more than 70 on week
ends.
T h e goal is to have the capability to offer
services to even more youths. T h e first step is
finding a new location; the center, at the east
end o f the Burnside Bridge in a congested
area with substantial traffic noise, needs a
building with more space located off a major
street.
JL
In addition, the cen
ter does not have an
outdoor area. Beige
thinks youth need a
COM
place to get outside to
bum up some energy.
Youth questioning
their gender also are
served by the center.
Two evenings a week,
an average of eight
youths attend a trans
support group.
Youth services are vibrant, alive and grow
ing, Beige and Watson say, but more is needed.
The program’s hours need to be expanded,
counseling services for youth need to grow,
drug and alcohol programs need to be
launched, and employment issues must be dealt
with, Beige says.
In the meantime, the youths need the com
munity’s support, money and time. “W e’d like
to see the queer community come back and
volunteer and support us with donations so we
can continue to do this good work,” Watson
says.
The future
N
elson might be sad about the end of
Phoenix Rising but says he is hopeful
about the future. “I’m very confident that Net
work will do a great job, and in some ways, ser
vices will be much more stable."
Although Phoenix Rising might be gone
from Portland’s landscape, the spirit of the orga
nization likely will live on for some time— just
like its namesake. i n
Contact N etwork B ehavioral H ealth -
C are I nc . at 5415 S.W. Milwaukie A ve. #3,
Portland, OR 97202, or (503) 238-0769.
C all H elios C ounseling S ervices at
(503) 238-0780.
For more information about the SEXUAL
M inority Y outh R ecreational C enter , call
(503) 872-9 6 6 4 or visit the Internet site
www.smyrc.org.
J onathan K ipp is a Just Out staff reporter who
can be reached at jki[)p@teleport.com.
Your fresh flower professionals
JACKSON’S FLO W ERS
3804 N. E. Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97232
(503) 282-0657 • 1 (800) 303-0657
J
O ur H ands
nsFlowers.com Move
H earts
rs/mernative^eal
www.climbatree.com
SAVINGS
933 SE 3 1 st Ave.
Portland, OR 9 7 2 14
on Limited Edition
Ȇ b
ITN
office: 503-238-7617 REALTOR®
US
“the only shop that
comes to you"
4 2 3 5 S I: W oodstock B lvd. • Portland O R 91^06
c “
3 - 774-3531