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2 0 1 4

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BUILDING A MOVEMENT

A BIG

FROM US...THANK YOU

We would like to extend our TRUEst gratitude to everyone who made the very first Forty to

None Summit a reality. What a day! On behalf or our co-founder Cyndi Lauper, Executive

Director Gregory Lewis, our board of directors, and the staff of the True Colors Fund, thank

you for attending our first Forty to None Summit – and for bringing your unique expertise to

the table. Without your presence, our cross-sector discussion on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and

transgender youth homelessness would not have been possible.

BUILDING A MOVEMENT

THE SUMMIT REPORT

OPEN

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TRUE PHILANTHROPY AWARDTERRENCE MECK, THE PALETTE FUND

TRUE COMMUNITY AWARDTHE COMMUNITY OF CHICAGO

AT THE OPENING RECEPTION OF THE FORTY TO NONE SUMMIT, WE

WERE JOINED BY TRUE COLORS FUND CO-FOUNDER CYNDI LAUPER

AND SPECIAL GUEST HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER NANCY PELOSI.

THE RECEPTION WAS SPONSORED BY THE PALETTE FUND.

BUILDING A MOVEMENT

Everyone in this room changes lives. Look around. This room is full of rockstars. – JAMA SHELTON, TRUE COLORS FUND

BUILDING A MOVEMENT

BUILDING A MOVEMENTBUILDING A MOVEMENT

PERFORMANCE BY YEPP

This journey has not been easy. It has been full of confusion and

pain. But I am still here, following my dreams, following

my instincts, allowing my inner

self to show.”– ZIZI PHILLIPS

INNOVATION & COLL ABORATION

ADVOCACY

DIRECT SERVICES

EDUCATION

GOVERNMENT

PHILANTHROPY

TECHNOLOGY

ATTENDEES BY SECTOR

AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO ARE THE PRINCIPLES

OF INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION. WE’RE FOCUSED

ON DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS LGBT

YOUTH HOMELESSNESS AND WE KNOW THAT WE CAN

ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL BY WORKING IN COLLABORATION

WITH OUR PARTNERS AROUND THE COUNTRY.”

GREGORY LEWIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TRUE COLORS FUND

GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE

Today, we’re building a plan, we’re building

a movement, and together we’re going

to end LGBT youth homelessness.

7%GENERAL YOUTH

POPULATION

40%HOMELESS YOUTH

POPULATION

GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER

UP TOUP TO

7%GENERAL YOUTH

POPULATION

40%HOMELESS YOUTH

POPULATION

GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER

UP TOUP TO

7%GENERAL YOUTH

POPULATION

40%HOMELESS YOUTH

POPULATION

GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER

UP TOUP TO

Dr. Jama Shelton kicked off the day

with an image-driven, fast paced,

snapshot of LGBT youth homelessness

including what we know about the

prevalence, causes, and current

responses to the issue.

– JAMA SHELTON, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TRUE COLORS FUND

I know you want to hear my story... but I want something back. I want you to do something about it.

SPOTLIGHT ON MONTANA

”– BENTLEY BURDICK

BENTLEY BURDICK AND SHERI BOELTER gave us a brief look into youth homeless-

ness in Billings, MT. We often hear about LGBT youth experiencing homeless-

ness in urban centers like New York City and Los Angeles, but what about the

rest of the country?

BENTLEY BURDICK SHERI BOELTER,EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TUMBLEWEED

Reauthorization of Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) is top priority. - DARLA BARDINE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL NETWORK FOR YOUTH

WORKING SMARTER, NOT HARDER

How will we know we’re on our way to zero?- BRYAN SAMUELS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CHAPIN HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

Youth homelessness is a social justice issue.- DR. LAURA ZEILINGER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF USICH

”

”

”

”

In this session, we learned

more about what happens at

the intersection of advocacy,

research, philanthropy, and

government – so we can more

effectively collaborate to create a

responsive and inclusive system to

end youth homelessness. Speakers

included Gregory Lewis, Bryan

Samuels, Darla Bardine, Laura

Zellinger, Anne Miskey, and Jama

Shelton.

Caring is not enough. What we need is caring that demonstrates itself through action. - ANNE MISKEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FUNDERS TOGETHER TO END HOMELESSNESS

“

“

“

“

BUILDING A MOVEMENTLISTEN UP! WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE WANT YOU TO KNOW

How will we know we’re on our way to zero?- BRYAN SAMUELS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CHAPIN HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

Youth homelessness is a social justice issue.- DR. LAURA ZEILINGER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF USICH

Extraordinary remarks @TrueColorsFund LGBT Summit:

What young people want you to know “Help us turn

the unimaginable into reality.”

– @RobertPulster

but are we taking the time to listen to what they have to say? Daniella Carter and Trai Williams, two of the

amazing young leaders nominated for the True Colors Fund’s 40 of the Forty list, spoke up about what they

think is most important for us to consider as we work to end LGBT youth homelessness.

Caring is not enough. What we need is caring that demonstrates itself through action. - ANNE MISKEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FUNDERS TOGETHER TO END HOMELESSNESS

I refuse to be another story of neglect, abuse, and shame.

– DANIELLA CARTER

”

It’s important to share your stories. Stereotypes won’t go away, but speaking ends them in yourself.

– MONTRAI WILLIAMS

”

WE KNOW THAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE EXPERTS OF THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES,

DISCUSSION WITH CYNDI L AUPER

At lunchtime, attendees had the

opportunity to have a conversation with

Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award-winning

artist Cyndi Lauper. Cyndi co-founded

the True Colors Fund in 2008 to further

her commitment to the LGBT community

and homeless youth.

LET’S GEEK OUT: TEC HNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS

OF HOMELESS YOUTH OWN A MOBILE PHONE.

OF HOMELESS YOUTH ACCESS THE INTERNET AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK.

62% 83.5%

How can we utilize the latest technology to support LGBT youth experiencing

homelessness and the service providers working with them every day? During lunch,

Twiggy Pucci Garçon, Joe Moran, and Chris Wood chatted about some exciting

technology based projects that are currently in the works.

TWIGGY PUCCI GARÇON, PROGRAM MANAGER, TRUE COLORS FUND

JOE MORAN, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT, TRUE COLORS FUND

CHRIS WOOD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LGBTQ

TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP & INSTITUTE

FOCUSING UPSTREAM

DR. JEFFREY POIRIER’S TOP 10 LIST

1. Follow the initiatives of Cincinnati and Houston

2. Do not reinvent the wheel (work from resources like the USICH framework)

3. Review available research and data and assess needs/strengths (e.g., interviews, surveys)

4. Be mindful of trauma and its effects on youth and families

5. Develop a shared vision

6. Be strategically collaborative—think about who to engage, when, why, and how (including engaging strong local leaders, or those who have the potential to be so, and develop their capacity further)

7. Engage local philanthropy early on

8. Assess and measure what works—and how and why (continuous quality improvement)

9. Engage youth and families in your planning and implementation

10. Be bold—be prepared to learn, adapt, and innovate

Identity-based family rejection and falling through the cracks

of existing systems are frequently cited as reasons for LGBTQ

youth homelessness, so why haven’t we been more focused

on prevention? This discussion focused on innovative efforts

being led by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) to prevent LGBT youth homelessness

in the Cincinnati and Houston areas, in collaboration with

Federal partners from the U.S. Departments of Education,

Health and Human Services, Juvenile Justice, as well as the

U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the True

Colors Fund. Speakers included Ann Oliva, Kelli King-Jackson,

Meredith Hicks, Jeff Poirier.

KELLI KING-JACKSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE SIMMONS FOUNDATION

MEREDITH HICKS, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PLANNING,

LIGHTHOUSE YOUTH SERVICES

REL ATIONSHIPS MATTER

ZIZI PHILLIPS AND BONSAI BERMUDEZ offered insight into

the ways permanent connections are beneficial to everyone

involved! We heard how important relationships support young

people’s ability to access new ideas and opportunities that

support thriving, while providing a social safety net when young

people are at-risk of homelessness.

Someone who won’t judge. Someone who cares. Trust. Relationships Matter. #fortytonone Doesn’t end after months – @LGBTQHomeless

BONSAI BERMUDEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PERFORMANCE PROJECT

ZIZI PHILLIPS

CROSS-SYSTEM COLL ABORATION

We need to change

behaviors to create safe & affirming spaces for

youth. –JERRY PETERSON

Stable housing, permanent connections, social-emotional

well-being, and education or employment – these are the

4 core outcomes for youth outlined in the Unaccompanied

Youth Intervention Model in United States Interagency

Council on Homelessnessí Framework to End Youth

Homelessness. We learned from four dynamic speakers

– Simon Costello, Jerry Peterson, Megan Gibbard, Carla

Silva – about how they are incorporating the 4 core

outcomes into their daily work.

”

MEGAN GIBBARD,HOMELESS YYA INITIATIVE

PROJECT PLANNER IN KING COUNTY

SONALI PATEL, POLICY FELLOW,

CHAPIN HALL SIMON COSTELLO, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN,

YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES, THE L.A. GAY & LESBIAN CENTER

CARLA SILVA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

THE ALLIANCE FOR GLBTQ YOUTH - MIAMI

JERRY PETERSON,EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RUTH ELLIS CENTER

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

WE TOOK ALL THE INFORMATION WE HEARD THROUGHOUT

THE DAY AND MADE PLANS FOR MOVING FORWARD! Through structured action planning, each think tank

group developed concrete strategies for moving the

work forward. With these plans in hand, participants

can return to their communities with clear action steps for

bringing new community partners to the table, addressing

potential barrier to progress, and continuing to spread the

knowledge about LGBT youth homelessness.

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHERBiggest takeaway is that we are all in this together and speaking in one voice is key to success! –@THEstaceyjay

THINK TANKS REPORT BAC K

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

THE PLANS

OUR PLANS COVERED FIVE DIFFERENT TOPIC AREAS Our plans covered five topic areas including social &

emotional well-being, permanent connections, stable

housing, education & employment, and prevention.

Participants also considered ways to engage young

people and innovative community partners in their

next steps. Some identified immediate next steps such

as locking arms with other advocates across fields,

fostering inclusive and affirming environments, creating

affordable housing, and disseminating successful

models.

or visithttp://truecolo.rs/14summitreport

Lizzie andJonathan Tisch

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