News :: GLBT
National resource center created for LGBT seniors by Hannah Clay Wareham
Associate EditorThursday Oct 22, 2009 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced their intention to create the nation’s first national resource center geared specifically toward LGBT seniors on Oct. 21.
According to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the resource center will provide support and services to community organizations that already serve LGBT Americans ages 60 and older, an estimated 1.5 to 4 million people.
The center is being formed out of the concern that existing mainstream services catering to senior citizens are uncomfortable with or unaware of senior LGBT populations. By providing organizations that serve LGBT seniors with funding, information, and resources, the HHS hopes to make those specific services more readily available and accessible to the people who need them.
"We know that invisibility leads to greater social isolation, which is acknowledged as a major problem for people as they age, and can be particularly difficult for LGBT people," Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said in a statement issued in support of the HHS decision. "The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and [Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders] are genuinely pleased that the Administration on Aging is moving to create more safe and welcoming services for LGBT seniors. Up until now, such services have been few and far between."
As part of the center project, one resource center will receive a grant of approximately $250,000 every year from the Administration on Aging. The first recipient is expected to be announced soon. Click here for more information.
Hannah can be reached at hclaywareham@baywindows.com.
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