Center on Halsted

Center
on Halsted’s comprehensive youth program empowers young people ages 13-24 to
achieve their full potential in a safe, confidential environment. Staff,
interns and volunteers help more than 1,600 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
and Allied young people across the Chicago area realize their full potential
through our onsite programming and our vocational training programs in
collaboration with local partners.

Our onsite programs provide a safe space for LGBTQA
youth to grow and develop as individuals and includes after school programming,
leadership development, counseling services, computer training, crisis
intervention, HIV and STD prevention, a college fair, social service referrals
and more.

Our vocational training program includes a 30-hour job readiness
workshop for youth ages 14-21 to learn resume writing, interviewing techniques,
obtaining and maintaining employment, budgeting skills and positive decision
making. Youth are also provided with individual career counseling to secure
employment and complete educational goals. Youth are supported in obtaining
employment with After School Matters programs, part-time and full-time work and
seasonal jobs. 

Through
leadership and community-building activities, our Stand Out program empowers
students (ages 16 – 20) involved in high school and college-level GSAs to
strengthen themselves personally and professionally. Stand Out creates spaces
for social engagement at Center on Halsted and around Chicago; through these
meet-ups students are engaged in topics of leadership, academic support and
college and career preparation.

Center
on Halsted provides an array of programs and services for LGBT community
members over the age of 55 through our Senior program. Every week, more than
150 seniors attend workshops, take classes, share a meal or make new friends
through the program. 

We provide a hot lunch to Seniors every Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday in partnership with the City of Chicago. In addition to lunch, the
meal provides an opportunity for participants to get to know fellow senior LGBT
community members and to find out about other community programs. We also
host a wide array of programs including a constituent advocacy program, various
language classes, theater workshops and training programs. Center staff arrange
Seniors to meet with a a Benefits Counselor who will help you identify and
apply for various benefits programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental
Nutritional Assistance Program.

The
Friendly Visitor Program provides companionship and friendship to isolated LGBT
adults who are homebound or living in a care setting. Through the program, an
LGBT older adult is paired with a Friendly Visitor volunteer who provides
friendship and support through weekly visits.

In
addition to our onsite services, Center on Halsted hosts a number of programs
throughout Chicagoland including competency training and wellness fairs. Center
on Halsted are currently partnering with Heartland Alliance to create the
Midwest's first affordable housing development dedicated for LGBT seniors, located
next door to Center on Halsted.

The Anti-Violence Project (AVP) team works to reduce bias and violence in the
lives of LGBT, queer, questioning and HIV-affected people. The program also provides both crisis support and ongoing services for more than 200 survivors of abuse and violence every year through our comprehensive services including a Crisis Line, Incident Reporting Assistance, Counseling, Court Accompaniment and Victim Advocacy. 
As
advocates, the Anti-Violence Project staff works to ensure survivors of
violence and discrimination receive sensitive, appropriate and timely responses
from the police, courts, employers and social service providers. Advocates will
accompany survivors to court proceedings, including assisting with petitions
for protective orders and filing police or discrimination reports.  Center on Halsted is a
founding and active member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
(NCAVP) which works to provide data and policy recommendations to help end hate
violence and bias in all communities.

In addition to our direct service, our team provides regular training to law enforcement agencies, court personnel,
rape crisis workers, government agencies, schools and more about the specific
needs facing LGBTQ HIV-affected victims and survivors of violence. We also facilitate
community workshops and classes on healthy relationships and related topics to help
prevent violence and re-victimization.

Center
on Halsted's Community and Cultural team creates and hosts a wide array of fun,
interactive and engaging programs enjoyed by members of the entire community.
Events range from volleyball games in the gymnasium to dance recitals in the
theatre. Center on Halsted hosts regular events designed by and for specific
groups within the community including LGBT families and children, singles,
women, men, bisexual individuals, transgender individuals, intersex individuals
and more.

Center
on Halsted offers high-quality performances and events for the entire LGBT
community through the OUT Cultural Series. Collaborating with both locally and
nationally-renowned partners, the OUT Cultural Series brings traditional and
cutting-edge theatre, dance, music, cinema and more to the Center to more than
5,000 individuals annually.

Center
on Halsted also offers a number of recreational and wellness programs in the
Billie Jean King Gymnasium attracting more than 500 people every week. Regular
events include open gym volleyball, yoga, floor hockey, youth open gym and
women's basketball. 

Center on Halsted also offers vocational
training through the Silver Fork, a twelve-week vocational training program for
LGBT and allied adults who are unemployed or underemployed. Participants
receive hands-on training from local chefs in the culinary arts, including
cooking, knife handling, sanitation and etiquette. Graduates receive two
certificates and receive job placement assistance.

Silver Fork addresses short and long-term vocational needs, and ensures the successful outcomes of our community members while focusing on shortages within the Chicago employment market. Graduates of our Silver Fork program are trained and prepared to enter this growing workforce.

Addresses the psychosocial needs of Chicago's LGBTQ community for nearly three decades by offering individual, relationship, family psychotherapy, therapy groups, letters of support to access gender affirming surgeries, various workshops, and trainings. Behavioral Health staff assess and treat all mood and anxiety symptoms, substance use, provide critical support during traumatic periods, addresses issues pertaining to building healthy relationships, and supports healthy identities around sexual identities and gender identity/expression, and living with HIV/AIDS.

Fully equipped and accessible computer lab with 20 computer stations that provides free online access, job readiness classes, job search programs, and technology training classes on a variety of topics. Microsoft Office classes are offered to assist patrons in learning needed skills for jobs obtainment. Internal programs are accommodated by allowing participants from Youth, Senior, Silver Fork, GED programs specialized times to allow their participants to access practice tests, resume creation website building and other areas to supplement their program participation.

This strategy recognizes that youth need support as they transition to adulthood; that different youth need different types of support and thus a "one-size fits-all" approach is inadequate; and that homeless youth are unique from homeless adults and constitute a niche group within the larger homeless population that requires specialized services
COH LGBTQA Homeless Youth Program offers a variety of supportive services designed to assist youth with stabilizing their housing and focus on long-term goals,

Involves training and educational opportunities. Center on Halsted provides transgender awareness trainings for corporations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and medical facilities. In addition to trainings and outreach, the Center also provides testimonies to government committees. In addition, the program offered a number of workshops throughout the year on various trans-related issues such as document and name changes, intersex issues, and human resource best practices.