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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 2001)
January 5, 2001 * Just M t f Ii’ i i j ¡ i l l i v i d ì m e w s Call today for a free qualification over the phone S mall -T own S upport First Time Buyers ♦ FHA/VA Loons Program targets gay youth in rural southwest Washington Self-Employed ♦ Complicated Borrowers Bankruptcies & Foreclosures ♦ Credit Problems by Jonathan Kipp Investment Properties ♦ Pre-opprovols 100% Financing Programs exual minority youth in Washington state’s rural Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties soon will have a support and resource program to help them through their often difficult adolescence. The program will offer a weekly support group, establish a private and confidential mes sage phone line and network with other region al and national gay-positive youth and parent groups. A $25,000 grant will help get the pro gram off the ground. A part-time coordinator will be hired this month to spearhead the outreach program and bring gay youth and their families together with community resources. The new program is sponsored by 10 re gional organizations including the Lower Columbia Commu nity Action Coun cil, the area’s lead ing social service agency. Alan Rose, who works for the coun cil, has taken the lead in getting the program up and run ning since last fall. He brings experi ence to the effort, having started the Triple Point Youth Group— a similar support organization for gay youth in Vancouver spon- Alan Rose sored by Cascade AIDS Project. He is the former HIV prevention program manager at CAP. After Rose addressed Cowlitz County Diver sity Task Force members at their invitation last fall, they decided to make gay youth their pri ority. “We started from a basic premise that regardless of one’s personal beliefs or attitudes about homosexuality, every child in our com munity has the right to be respected and val ued," he says. The challenge to implement a new out reach program in a rural area is exciting for Rose. Although it will have similarities to the Vancouver program, it will be different; none of the sponsoring agencies is related to HIV or AID S. “I like this because it isn’t associating the youth with any of the health risks that queer youth can be associated with,” Rose says. He expects this will help attract some youth who otherwise would stay away. But programs in urban areas have avenues to reach targeted youth: coffee shops, clubs, book stores and other social service agencies. In rural areas, these options aren’t available. Rose says his program will have to rely on school counselors, an area college campus and a few supportive churches to reach gay youth. Reaching those who need support will be the program’s first challenge. S ome studies indicate sexual minority youth are at particular risk for harassment, vio lence, dropping out of school, homelessness, substance abase, HIV and other sexually trans mitted diseases. Other studies indicate they have an increased risk for suicide. Although schools no longer tolerate racial and religious slurs, homophobic comments are common from students— and sometimes even teachers. Too often, Rose says, gay youth are the insult of choice in public schools, which is why support organizations are so important. He is aware of the challenge ahead and fully expects a “conservative backlash.” The program soon will be featured in the Longview-based paper The Daily News, and he is prepared for a flurry of letters to the editor that likely will follow. But Rose says people have been supportive of the program so far. He says the region has dynamic, creative and energetic folks who want to make positive changes in support of gay and lesbian community members. “ When we learned the landlord was selling our house, we called Christine in a panic. Being Christine C. Hall self employed, we thought it might be impossible Mortgage Broker President's Club to buy, but Christine came to the rescue. She made the extra effort to get all our paperwork in order and the loan approved. ” SAINT JUDE Care Center 6003 S E 136th Avenue Portland, O R 97236 Please contact Penny at 503-761-1155 - 800-345-9190 503-301-1941 w T ji - Patti & Joy, R ita s Flowers 503 624-1513 Mi Pager Be Yourself at Work! We are searching for qualified and caring Nursing Professionals Registered Nurses Licensed Practical Nurses Certified Medication Aides Certified Nursing Assistants Our work environment honors the diversity of our staff. We offer competitive wages and benefits, including health insurance for domestic partners. ore than 5,000 high school students live > in the Cowlitz/Wahkiakum area. Rose estimates at least 250 are gay and lesbian youth. Studies, he says, indicate most of them have experienced homophobic insults and slurs in school. More sobering, based on national statis tics, 33 percent will attempt to end their lives before they turn 21. Rose says the area has the highest teen sui cide rate relative to other rural Washington counties. “This program aims to provide these youth in our community the resources, sup port and services to help them survive in a society still largely unfriendly and unsympa thetic to them.” Rose knows firsthand what it is like to reach out and not find any support. When he started to realize he was gay, he had nowhere to go for support, so he went to his college library for more information. Rose found only two books— and both described homosexuality as a form of psy chopathology. “It’s been so important to me to create” a safe and supportive environment for young people, he says. Rose and his supporters have a year to estab lish the program and prove that a need is being met and that youth are utilizing their services. If they can do that, he says, they can justify seek ing additional funding. “We believe that queer youth need support from the community,” he says. “This group will provide them the opportunity to get it. - j r n For more information about the program or the coordinator position contact Alan Rose of the Lower Columbia Community Action Council at 360-425-3430 or 800-383-210/. ^ See my other fin e listings in the Classified Ads, j — C E L I A J- L Y O N — S a le s A sso c ia te (5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 - 8 9 8 9 x 5 7 7 4 (5 0 3 ) 7 8 6 - 4 9 5 9 Pager: 920-8403 Mobile: 260-6231 Fax: 284-1618 19 3
