According to a recent survey, around 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, a community that is also more likely to be the target of hate crimes than any other minority group. The Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI) has been working for 37 years to change that.
HMI began after a 15-year-old was beaten and thrown from a homeless shelter for being gay in 1979. Psychiatrist Dr. Emery Hetrick and professor Dr. Damien Martin started the organization to give youth a safe haven to recuperate and grow. Today, HMI is the largest and oldest LGBTQ organization in the country, offering a supportive environment for homeless LGBTQ youth ages 13-24.
The year-round program now spans across 38 states in the US, providing services to more than 2000 youth each year. HMI assists in education, health care, mental health, homelessness, economic empowerment, and youth-specific support.
“Especially now — when the community is besieged from so many sides — we must protect our youth and the rights and opportunities they should be guaranteed, but are not.” Thomas Krever, HMI’s CEO, told Mic.com.
Through partnerships with other organizations, HMI provides youth with opportunities to participate in arts programs and a pride prom, while also offering housing, food assistance, college preparation, and job readiness support. No boxes go unchecked.
Over the past four decades, they’ve developed a comprehensive program model that they’ve passed on to friends in places like Austria, Hungary, and Turkey. Their work is real, tangible, and growing.
Here are ways to give to HMI over the holiday season.
