MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES GRANTS TO EMPOWER TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY COMMUNITIES

BOSTON— Friday, March 29, 2024 — Mayor Michelle Wu today announced the City of Boston is awarding $375,000 through three grants to two critical community organizations that directly serve Boston’s transgender and nonbinary communities. These grants aim to improve trans and nonbinary residents’ access to affordable housing, public health and mental health resources and legal support. The Transgender Emergency Fund (TEF)’s transitional housing program for trans and nonbinary residents will receive $350,000 from the City’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, $250,000 from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and $100,000 from the Boston Public Health Commission. The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement is awarding $25,000 to the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) for legal name and gender marker assistance, an investment that was included in Mayor Wu’s FY24 annual operating budget. 

"We are thrilled to partner with two of Massachusetts’ leading organizations to expand access to transitional housing and legal name change assistance for trans and nonbinary residents,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “As we continue our work to ensure Boston is a city for everyone, these resources will enhance crucial services, remove barriers and empower community members across Boston’s neighborhoods."

“Ensuring the accessibility of these critical services aligns with our commitment to equitable practices,” said Chief of Equity and Inclusion Mariangely Solis Cervera. “By removing barriers and providing support to transgender and nonbinary individuals, we contribute to building a more just and inclusive Boston for everyone.”

The grant to the Transgender Emergency Fund (TEF) will direct funds to supporting their Transgender Transitional Housing program, which serves transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary residents. Since launching in May 2022, this program has housed 21 people to date. Eleven of the 21 individuals who have participated in the program have secured permanent housing. This critical program allows trans residents to stay rent free for up to one year and provides an opportunity for participating residents to secure employment, prioritize their health and well being with the goal of transitioning to permanent housing. The program provides 24 hour staff/volunteer support, guest bedrooms, connections to gender-affirming healthcare, and gender affirming programming and workshops on-site. 

“As we reflect on all the lives lost this year and in the last 25 years we’ve been commemorating Trans Day of Remembrance, I can’t help but think about all the people we might still have with us today if there was a program like TEF’s house,” said Transgender Emergency Fund Board President La Kia Doncheva. “I’ve seen firsthand how housing can save someone’s life. Safe housing is the single most important thing we can do to save trans lives. Thank you Mayor Wu for saying emphatically to the transgender community with this grant: ‘This is your City too. You are seen, you belong here, you matter.’”

“The Mayor's Office of Housing is pleased to support the Transgender Emergency Fund partnership, which will reduce homelessness and support housing stability for transgender individuals in Boston,” said Sheila Dillon, Chief of Housing. “This initiative represents a step forward in our commitment to collaborating with nonprofit and community partners, aligning efforts to coordinate housing and services for households experiencing homelessness in the city.” 

“Homelessness and housing instability disproportionately impact transgender and non-binary individuals and significantly impact health and well-being,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission and Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. “We are pleased to support this effort to improve access to safe housing and reduce health inequities.”

The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement’s grant to the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition will support existing efforts around MTPC's Identity Document Assistance Network (IDA Network) and REACH Financial Assistance Program. MTPC is currently the only organization in Massachusetts that provides legal name and gender marker change services to transgender and nonbinary people at the scale of name change clinics, one-to-one support, connections to legal support and notaries, as well as financial assistance provisions. The funding will support MTPC’s expansion of legal name and gender marker change service clinics and emergency grants to residents who are experiencing economic hardships. MTPC will partner with community organizations like Transgender Emergency Fund, Trans Resistance and The Network/La Red for outreach and referrals.

“TEF and MTPC have been steadfast partners of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement since our launch last year. We are deeply excited to support organizations so aligned with our goals of gender inclusion and supporting transgender and nonbinary Bostonians,” said Jullieanne Doherty Lee , Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement. “We know that financial and bureaucratic barriers can reduce the ability of BIPOC transgender and gender expansive community members to fully participate in society. These grants will directly further the City’s mission of promoting the advancement of LGBTQ+ residents and building a more inclusive Boston.”

“One of MTPC’s top priorities is to work toward the lived equity of trans and nonbinary people including the removal of structural and financial barriers,” said Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition Executive Director Tre’Andre Valentine. “Partnerships like this ensure that public investment in under-resourced communities is directed in the most impactful ways. We are excited to work more closely with the Mayor’s Office in support of trans and nonbinary Bostonians.”

These grants build on the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement’s work to close the racial wealth gap and to ensure that Boston is an inclusive and equitable city for residents of all gender identities. MOLA, in partnership with the Department of Innovation and Technology and the City’s Registrar, updated the City’s gender data collection processes, marked by the City no longer requiring sex or gender identification on marriage licenses.