You’re Invited to
OPEN A DOOR
TO THE FUTURE
“When I got to Lost-n-Found, it was beyond anything that I could have imagined. When I walked in the door there was all smiling faces and nobody judged me and nobody looked down on me for what I had been through.� - Ryan, former client
Mission Lost-n-Found Youth assists homeless youth from 13 – 25 in stabilizing their lives, including preparing them for permanent housing and stable employment. In addition, LNFY is Atlanta’s leading non-profit with the specialized expertise on and dedication to the needs of LGBTQ homeless youth and we take a special responsibility to ensuring their well-being.
History Lost-n-Found Youth is an outgrowth of Saint Lost and Found, an LGBTQ homeless youth fund project of the Atlanta Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Founded by Rick Westbrook, Art Izzard, and Paul Swicord, LNFY grew from their frustrations with trying to place LGBTQ youth into local shelters and youth aid programs. After meeting with local homeless youth support agencies to determine what resources existed, it became clear that no organization was specifically working to take LGBTQ homeless youth off the street. The three resolved that something needed to be done to address the immediate need and Lost-n-Found Youth was born as 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2011. Initially grassroots and volunteer-run, LNFY quickly met its capacity in just one year. Over the past five years, LNFY has experienced astonishing growth expanding services to include a crisis hotline, youth drop-in center, and a thrift store which provides a significant source of earned income. As the organization becomes more known, the demand for services continues to increase.
SOME DOORS ARE CLOSED TO HOMELESS YOUTH
On any given night, there are approximately 3,374 young people sleeping on the streets of Atlanta. While LGBTQ people represent about five percent of the general population of teens and young adults, they make up 28 percent of Atlanta’s homeless individuals in the same age range. How they ended up on the street includes some expected reasons— unemployment or aging out of foster care—but LGBTQ youth are much more likely to have been victims of family rejection and/or abuse after coming out. More than 50 percent of LNFY’s clients left their home by force or necessity before they were able to support themselves financially. Even as the acceptance of marriage equality rises, more and more LGBTQ youth end up with no place to go. “We are seeing a new epidemic of LGBTQ youth homelessness largely because youth are coming out earlier,”
says Jeff Krehely, Director of the LGBT Research Project at the Center for American Progress. “They are coming out to their families at age 12 or 13 instead of 18 or 20. In some ways this is a good thing, it means they are getting societal cues that it is ok to be gay, but they are not old enough to be able to live independently yet and they face rejection by parents and families and emotional and/or physical abuse at school.” Statistically, we have less than 48 hours to connect newly homeless youth with services before they turn to harmful survival activities that can lead to a vicious circle of drugs, prostitution, theft, abuse, and exploitation. But people who identify as LGBTQ can also encounter additional barriers to getting access to social services and safe shelter. It’s not unusual to be put on a waiting list for shelter beds but many LGBTQ homeless avoid traditional shelters because they are either unable or unwilling to provide a safe sleeping area for LGBTQ clients. Reports of harassment and discrimination towards LGBTQ homeless youth from other shelter residents and even staff is, unfortunately, not uncommon. “There are currently no federal programs specifically designed to meet the needs of gay and transgender homeless youth,” Krehely
says, “and there are no protections in place to keep gay and transgender youth from being discriminated against while accessing federally funded homeless service.” Additionally, the link between homelessness and HIV is well established. The Urban Institute says that “survival sex,” trading sex for food or shelter, is extremely common among homeless LGBTQ youth because they lack any other options for meeting basic needs. With the CDC reporting that new infections among gay males 13-to-24 has increased 22 percent, the potential for a new HIV epidemic is in the making. “I lived through the AIDS epidemic in the 80s,” says LNFY Executive Director Rick Westbrook, “we’ve got to get these kids off the streets or they will become the next plague.” A major focus in 2016-17 is to expand the number of homeless youth we can serve by opening a drop-in center and housing facility in Midtown Atlanta. The drop-in center will provide homeless and at-risk youth with clothing, hot meals, showers, laundry facilities, hygiene and other supplies, referrals to housing resources, jobs, education, and other services.
• 28% of homeless youth served by agencies identify as LGBTQ • There are 3,374 homeless youth in Atlanta on any given night. • The primary reason for LGBTQ youth homelessness is family rejection • 59% of LGBTQ homeless youth have been sexually victimized compared to 33% of heterosexual homeless youth • 17% of homeless youth are HIV-positive • LGBTQ homeless youth commit suicide at a higher rate (62%) than heterosexual homeless youth (29%) Sources: National Coalition for the Homeless, Atlanta Youth Count and Needs Assessment, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Statistic Center
LNFY IS
OPENING DOORS LNFY has developed inclusive policies and targeted resources for homeless and at-risk youth ages 13-25. • 24/7 phone crisis response: LNFY staff and volunteers handled 968 crisis hotline contacts in 2015. • The Street Outreach & Drop-in Center serves, on average, 215 clients each month (8% new clients, 92% returning clients). Specific services for 2015 break down as follows: 2,232 served meals; 600 clothing vouchers; 420 food packs distributed; 288 showers and laundry services; 252 MARTA cards distributed; and 216 hygiene packs distributed. • Last year, 54 clients stayed in the 90-day housing while they worked on becoming self-sufficient. • All clients in the housing program received mental health evaluations/ counseling, HIV/STD testing, referrals to health and dental services, assistance for lost or stolen birth certificates, driver’s licenses or state ID cards, referrals to GED training/ testing and educational resources, and employment assistance including resume writing and interview skills training.
“I had to experience things no person should have to go through. I know that my past only makes me stronger.”
Kim’s Story In 2003, my whole world turned upside down with the passing of my mother in April and my father passing in September. I had to move in with my sister ... those were the worst years in my childhood. When I graduated, the real challenges of the world hit me. Employers never want to give a truthful answer to why they chose someone else to work for them. I became completely homeless. No car, no money, nowhere to live. I went [to Lost-n-Found] and they accepted me into their program. Lost-n-Found is not like the other programs in Atlanta. They provide everything a person needs to get a job, save money, and find a place to live. One day, [a local businessman] came to the youth center and said he was hiring for an assistant in his real estate office. I had an interview, got the job, and started working the following week. If it was not for Lost-n-Found, I don’t know where I would be now. I believe God puts people in the right place at the right time. I pray every day that I will be able to help someone as much as I been helped by Lost-n-Found. - Kim, former client
WE CAN OPEN MORE WITH YOUR HELP Saint Mark United Methodist Church offered us a generous 20-year/$20 lease agreement on a building in Midtown Atlanta to be the future location of the new youth drop-in center and shelter. The house, which has been sitting boarded up for many years, will require a complete renovation. The 5,900 square-foot building allows us to expand the youth drop-in center to serve 30-50 homeless and at-risk youth with education and employment assistance as well as referrals for health services. The building also has room for 18 beds tripling our current capacity from the six beds we have now. In addition, the Midtown location is closer to the places where homeless youth congregate making our services much more accessible for them. Originally built in 1904 by Emil Charles Seiz (builder of the Rufus M. Rose House and the Massellton Apartments), this structure is an important part of Midtown’s architectural history which this project will preserve. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has endorsed our plan to renovate the property.
Ensuring long-term sustainability We have experienced rapid growth and expansion of services between 2013 and 2014. With the thrift store and current donations bringing in enough revenue to cover existing program expenses, our Board of Directors determined that the time was right to expand our services and organizational capacity. Over the past several years, the Board of Directors has worked to ensure that LNFY is operated efficiently and effectively including annual financial audits by an independent CPA and program evaluation. (LNFY’s financial audits and 990 tax forms are available upon request.) The Impact Dashboard on our website at lnfy.org/ mission-and-history/impact-dashboard/ makes clear the positive effect our donors have had on hundreds of lives. The organization has come a long way from a handful of volunteers to a team of trained, professional staff running a variety of programs providing a continuum of care for our youth so that they can achieve independence with dignity.
In 2017, with your help, Lost-n-Found Youth will open a much needed emergency shelter and youth drop-in center in Midtown Atlanta. The newly renovated building will triple our capacity to provide a home-like, safe space where homeless youth can work towards gaining independence and financial stability.
Your gift is essential... • To renovate, equip and staff an urgently needed youth center and shelter (cost: $700,000) for homeless youth ages 1325 who: * have been rejected by their families. * have no one to turn to for help. * need help getting a job or continuing their education. • To create an endowment (cost: $400,000) to pay for maintenance at the new facility.
Total campaign goal: $1.1 million On the following pages, you will find a host of naming opportunities to create your legacy with Lost-n-Found Youth, and to help build a future for homeless youth. From the naming of our new building to underwriting a room in your name or that of a loved one, an opportunity exists for each of us to break new ground by making a gift to the campaign.
Building Endowment
$500,000 $400,000
Common Spaces - Floor 1 Foyer Drop-In & Intake Kitchen & Dining Front Porch (outside) Patio (outside) Computer Room Conference Room
$50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $40,000 $25,000 $40,000 $40,000
Administrative - Floor 1 Administrative Reception Administration Office
$25,000 $25,000
Housing Spaces - Floor 1 Accessible Bedroom
$25,000
Additional Opportunities - Outside Porch & Patio Benches $2,500 4” x 8” Patio Brick $125 8” x 8” Patio Brick $250
Housing Spaces - Floor 2 House Parent Suite Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4
$25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
Bedroom 5 Bedroom 6 Bedroom 7 Bedroom 8
$25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Charlotte Cagle, Chair Self-employed, real-estate development Keith Hollingsworth, Ph.D., Vice Chair Morehouse College Liliana Bakhtiari, Secretary Community Activist David Little, Treasurer Koch Industries Marci A. Alt Carma Productions, Inc. Chris Burgess Founder, Global Village Project School for Refugee Girls
Bruce Garner All Saints’ Episcopal Church Michelle Groover Members AutoChoice Maureen Kalmanson Henry’s Midtown Tavern Dr. Jesse Peel Retired from psychiatric practice J. Harry Shannon Retired CEO, Anti-Prejudice Consortium Edward Smith-Lewis UNCF
STAFF LEADERSHIP Rick Westbrook Executive Director
Brittany Garner, MSW Program Director
Clayton Skinner Chief Operating Officer
Patrick Garver Thrift Store Manager
Lost-n-Found Youth is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist homeless youth to age 25 in stabilizing their lives, including preparing them for permanent housing and stable employment. LNFY is Atlanta’s leading non-profit with the specialized expertise on and dedication to the needs of LGBTQ homeless youth and we take a special responsibility to ensuring their well-being.