This year marks 20 years of service for PSGDC. In a time where nonprofit organizations are suffering tremendous budget cuts or are being forced to close, you may be wondering how PSGDC remains not only alive, but also vibrant and thriving.

The answer is simple: PSGDC listens. We constantly seek input from the communities we serve and by doing so we glean a great deal of insight into the specific challenges faced by those communities. What we learn informs our program initiatives, as is the case with our efforts to meet the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals. Evidence indicates the urgent need for culturally competent services for the LGBTQ community, so PSGDC has risen to the occasion and taken action.

Last year we launched an outreach campaign offering a safe space for LGBTQ individuals to come to when they are in need of services. We initiated a collaboration with SAGE, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders, and PSGDC has undergone an agency-wide competency training to ensure quality care in each department.

Last June, PSGDC hosted a supper and round table discussion with members of the community who self-identify as either LGBTQ or as LGBTQ allies. We learned that the services needed most include legal services, assistance navigating the health care system, and the formulation of advance directives. In response we held our first LGBTQ Legal Clinic last October.

Toward the end of the year, there were some staff changes, and in January 2005, Matt Kudish, MSW, and R.K. Ayden Abdul-Azim joined the PSGDC family: Matt as LGBTQ Specialist and a social worker in the Family Caregiver Project, and Ayden as the Volunteer Coordinator. Both have been working hard to develop programs, collaborate with other LGBTQ a-gencies, and outreach to people in Brooklyn and Staten Island, informing them a-bout our services.

Under our new program name, VINTAGE PRIDE, our LGBTQ program hosted a table at the GLBT Expo at the Jacob Javits Center. This event helped lay the foundation for future work with agencies and community members alike. We are already seeing a marked increase in the number of our LGBTQ clients.