WASHINGTON -The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation has announced that it will expand its partnership with Devereux, one of the oldest and largest providers of behavioral healthcare in the nation, to better reach and care for vulnerable lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.
With this affiliation, the HRC Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, will work with Devereux staff to establish LGBTQ-inclusive policies and standards across its 12-state system of care, collectively serving tens of thousands of individuals and their support networks annually. The aim of the joint work is to protect and serve LGBTQ youth and their families, ensuring access to affirming mental health services and resources.
The partnership will be highlighted this weekend at the HRC Foundation’s Second Annual Time to THRIVE conference, which promotes the safety, inclusion and well-being of LGBTQ youth, and draws hundreds of educators and youth-serving professionals from across the nation
“We are delighted to expand our work with Devereux, which for more than six years has been taking real and meaningful steps to improve its care of LGBTQ youth in need,” said Ellen Kahn, director of the HRC Foundation’s Children, Youth and Families Program. “This partnership will serve to enhance our work on LGBTQ youth homelessness, our ongoing efforts to find foster and adoptive homes for LGBT youth and will add momentum to ending harmful perceptions and practices in the community.”
Devereux, founded in 1912, provides industry-leading care to children, adolescents and adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and mental health challenges. The organization provides hospital, residential and day treatment programs, operates community-based group homes, as well as foster care homes, special education day schools and vocational and pre-vocational training programs.
In 2009, Devereux began working with the HRC Foundation’s All Children-All Families project, which helps child welfare agencies improve interactions with and treatment of LGBTQ youth and families. Devereux Arizona was the first organization in that state to receive the All Children-All Families “seal of excellence” for its efforts.
“We are very proud of our ongoing commitment to the HRC Foundation’s program,” said Yvette Jackson, Director of Operations of Devereux Arizona. “The expansion of our partnership with HRC will go well beyond the walls of our agencies; not only will we continue to improve our practice with LGBTQ youth across all of our service areas, but we look forward to working even more closely with HRC to cultivate a culture of competency in all the communities where we live and work.”
“Devereux is a nationally-recognized leader in serving children and youth, with a formal commitment to address the needs of LGBTQ children and youth in specific,” said Kahn. “The HRC Foundation’s All Children-All Families project is the most comprehensive approach for establishing policy and practice standards for improving the safety and well-being of LGBTQ youth and families.”
“This partnership will bring together these approaches and extend and enhance our outreach to vulnerable LGBTQ youth,” she said.
More information on the HRC Foundation’s Children, Youth and Families programs can be found here. Information about Devereux and its care network can be found here.
