CommuniCare expands its services for LGBTQ+ youth
ElevateYouth works with residents aged 12 to 26
In November, CommuniCare Health Centers received a grant to expand services to young LGBTQ+ individuals in Yolo County.
The $580,698 granted to CommuniCare from ElevateYouth — a California organization that works to address substance abuse in communities of color as well as LGBTQ+ people — will help them reach at-risk youth under the LGTBQ umbrella throughout Yolo County.
“Oftentimes, when you are someone who is within that community, it can be difficult to find other people to relate to,” explained Kenna Cook, the project coordinator for ElevateYouth in Yolo County. “It can be difficult to find your chosen family. And so, having kind of groups having mentorship is something that we really want to focus on.”
CommuniCare opened a oncea-week walk-in space for 7th through 12th graders in September of 2019 at the Family Wellness Center at 455 First St. in Woodland. Cook said that it was important for youth to have a safe space to “be themselves” and talk to trusted adults.
The group had to close in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and transitioned to a twiceweekly Zoom meeting. Cook said it was hard to keep the participants regularly coming to the meetings over the year-long restrictions.
After nearly a year, they met in person on March 12, due to loosening COVID-19 guidelines. They will continue to meet on the second Friday of every month in person.
“It has been a struggle because kids are Zoomed out, they are overloaded with screens,” Cook said. “They don’t have access to their peers, and also they’re at home, and that might not be a safe space for them, whereas before they were able to actually be in a safe space. So, what this grant is doing is being, giving us the ability to expand, to have more services than just our online group.”
As schools slowly “trickle” back into session, Cook explained that CommuniCare will try to bring advocates and allies into all middle and high schools throughout Yolo County.
Allison Rodriguez, the youth and family services manager for youth specialty mental health services, noted that these services are fairly unheard of in Woodland and that those who age out of these services are usually left to their own devices.
“These services are some of the first services that Woodland has experienced,” she said. “And so, with the youth group under 18, that was pretty successful and then we found the gap a little bit after that, over 18, they don’t really have a lot of resources in this area.”
Those who have aged out of the program may need to travel as far as Sacramento to get support, which is a barrier for people who do not have reliable transportation. The grant given by ElevateYouth will help bring services to youth who are over 18 and need support.
CommuniCare is partnering with Woodland Community College in order to bring in a behavioral and primary care clinician to the campus. Cook also said that they are planning on reaching out to students in order to start social and support groups on campus.
In addition to those support groups, Rodriguez highlighted that CommuniCare will also be bringing in a new staff member to serve as a peer advocate.
“The peer advocate can connect with youth and young adults, on an individual basis and continue to support them outside of these support groups,” Rodriguez said. “As well as somebody with lived experience, somebody that they use can relate to.”
Cook explained that these services are life-saving to a large population in Woodland. A 2020 study found that 15.9% of Generation Z and 9.1% of Millennials identify as LGBTQ+.
In addition, she explained that a study published in 2019 by the Trevor Project found that LGBTQ+ youth were 40% less likely to report a suicide attempt in the prior year if they had at least one supporting adult in their lives.
As CommuniCare works on these expanded services, they are still offering oneon-one assistance in order to help youth find housing, apply for jobs and get healthcare.
“Oftentimes these things when you’re doing them alone can be very overwhelming,” Cook said. “But if you have someone that can mentor you and guide you through the process so you’re not doing it alone, it can be very empowering.”
Both Rodriguez and Cook highlighted that the projects formed by this grant are just the beginning of a bigger LGBTQ+ support system.
“And what I see is that the ideas that we have now, are the seeds and they’re going to grow into something that we probably can’t even imagine at this point,” Cook said. “It’s going to grow beyond our wildest imaginations, but whatever services we wherever we do end up, they’re going to not only be life-changing, but life-saving.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts contact Suicide Prevention of Yolo County at (888) 233-0228 or for LGBTQ-specific help, contact the TrevorLifeline at (866)-488-7368 or text 678-678.