GRANT #302:

Choosing Our Roots

Brrrr, it's cold in Alaska. Imagine how cold it feels when your parents kick you out of the house because you're not the son or daughter they thought you were.

Kids who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer are far more likely to be homeless than other young people. Choosing Our Roots is devoted to focusing on the significant and unique needs of LGBTQ youth, and they know about those needs because COR is led by young people and queer people. They’re making sure everyone remembers the participants in the program are at the, you know, core of everything COR does.

The long-term idea is to give every queer-identifying young Alaskan (over the age of 13) a safe home with a host family. A host home will be a place to build supportive, long-term relationships that help them grow into confident, competent young adults.

Right now, COR is starting in the Anchorage and Mat-Su regions of Alaska, where they’re developing their initial programs and services. They have a strategic plan to expand to hub communities throughout Alaska in the years to come. Our AWB grant will help buy the tech equipment they need to get going.

We can’t do much about how cold it is in Alaska, but we can certainly help create a sense of warmth for kids who need to feel welcome and accepted as they are.

Keep up with COR’s work via their website, and on Facebook.