Homeless LGBTQ youth find support in the District

LGBTQ/ HOMELESSNESS | The District has become a refuge for many homeless LGBTQ individuals as a result of the city’s progressive laws and supportive nonprofits. Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders is just one organization that is helping homeless LGBTQ youth learn life skills while offering them support that includes housing and transportation. (WaPo, 8/19)

The goal of the housing program, its executive director, Sultan Shakir, says is not just to provide shelter, but also to make independent adults out of the youths.

“We’re big on life skills like cooking and financial literacy, jobs training and connecting them to the larger community here in D.C.,” he says. “We instill a sense of independence from Day One, they are expected to live alone, get to work, eat and save by themselves. We don’t want to put a bandage on their situation, but help them become self-sufficient.”

RACIAL JUSTICE | After the recent events in Charlottesville, VA, Tamara Lucas Copeland, WRAG’s president, urges the white community that is committed to racial justice to step up. (Daily, 8/21)

SOCIAL INNOVATION | University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute, WRAG’s partner on the Philanthropy Fellows program, is giving students the tools to create innovative solutions to social issues. (Baltimore Sun, 7/9)

EDUCATION | Despite Some Progress On PARCC Exam, Student Achievement Gap Widens In DC (DCist, 8/17)

HEALTH | Community health clinics want the District to expand access to naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. (WaPo, 8/20)

HOUSING | Prince George’s County, MD, an affluent black community, is beginning to bounce back from the recession. (WBJ, 8/18 – Subscription needed)

EQUITY | The Complex Relationship Between Innovation and Economic Segregation (Citylab, 8/18)

Hopefully you’ll get a chance to see the eclipse today! (I didn’t get glasses, so I won’t.) 

– Kendra