Arianna's Center Community Relief

The last few months have been really exciting for Arianna's Center. We've seen such an increase in supoport for the transgender community which is really satisfying to see and crucial to the community we serve.

Our project to provide direct assistance for transgender individuals in South Florida was given a a huge boost recently when Arianna's Center was recognized by Li'l Nas X as one of the organizations he nominated as part of his 'baby registry' in conjunction with teh release of his latest album. Fans were directed to contribute to the Arianna's Center GlobalGiving project and we saw people from across the world learn about our work and contribute to our community. 

During this time Arianna's Center was also one of sixteen national organization to be awarded funding from Gilead Sciences as part of their TRANSCEND initiative to continue our important work. 

In the past 3 months we've seen an increase in clients who are currently navigating the immigration process. For example we recently received a call about a trans Latina being released from ICE detention in Texas. Arianna's Center was able to provide transportation for the individual to Florida along with 2 weeks emergency housing, HIV testing and linkage to medical care and linkage to immigration assistance. The client is now volunteering with Arianna's Center and establishing a life for themselves in South Florida. 

We're continue to provide assistance for transgender women to pay bills, purchase groceries, access transportation and more. While the financial strain of the pandemic has eased for many people, the transgender community continues to face barriers and challenges at disproportinate levels. We still see between 25 and 30 requests for assistance each month in addition to the clients seeking HIV testing and linkage to care and prevention. We have also started a monthly movie and prevention night. Clients are invited to join us for a meal, a movie and education about HIV prevention.

Happily, the organization also celebrated our 6 year anniversary with an event in conjunction with Sunshine Cathedral and The Happening Out Network. This included a live streamed interview with community leaders and the trans community.

We're so incredibly grateful to each of you who made the choice to support our community this year. It's been so heartening to know that our community is cared for and valued. From all of us at Arianna's Center and our clients we thank you and wish you a very safe and happy holiday season. 

Demand for support from many in the transgender community continues to grow here in South Florida. Despite a period where we saw an improvement in the COVID-19 pandemic it didn't trabnslate into a change in need from the community we serve who already faced so many challenges. Now as Florida sees the highest rates of COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization in the Unted States we're anticipating a increase in demand for services. We're also delaing with vaccine hesitancy which continues to be a challenge amongst marginalized communities.

The greatest demand for assistance that we've been experiencing is related to housing, whether it is assistance with rent or those facing eviction. Often times we're finding that many people don't understand what their rights are in relation to housing. This is particularly challenging for those who have been released from incarceration or ICE detention. 

Through our community relief program we've also been able to pay for travel by Lyft for clients to reach medical appointments and get tested and vaccinated. This is particularly import for teh tarns community as access to transportation is a major issue along with concerns about personal safety on public transportation for some. 

Separate from our regular programming which includes HIV testing and prevention, advocacy and leadship skill building and case management, we're seeing between 25-30 request per month for support in the form of rent assistance, meal and grocery vouchers, help with tarnsportation, bills and more. 

We also partnered with OUT My Closet to provide a special pop up clothing distribution event that spanned a period of 4 days. It provided free clothing to the transgender community along with personal care kits that included shapoo, soap, doeadorant, toothpaste, mouth wash, razors, manicure kits and more personal care items. This is in addition to the free clothing closet that we operate.

We were also recognized for our work in the community with a certifciate of appreciation from Miami-Dade County Mayor, Daniella Levine-Cava.

Your support as a donor is appreciated not just by our team but by the community we serve. Whether it's a hot meal, groceries or that extra help in meeting the monthly rent, you've made a difference in the life of someone in our comunity.