As New Yorkers, we know that we live in a city that embraces all people. Regardless of where they come from or who they are, there is a place for everybody. Some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth who live in other parts of the country where they are not necessarily accepted or understood, know this about New York and end up putting all of their chips on the chance to live in a place where they are not only free to be who they are, but are encouraged to do so. Kids across the country find themselves kicked out of their homes because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, or forced to flee their communities because of harassment or a lack of support. One transgender girl from Georgia fled home after having guns fired at her while she walked to school in the morning. These kids get on a bus or a train and head for our city, only to get here and become part of the ever-growing homeless population.

New Alternatives is a non-profit organization that was created in October 2008 to help these kids get on their feet. It is not a shelter, but rather an organization that convenes in a church and offers emotional support, legal guidance, life skills training, education and job preparation, clothing, and some meals. With no formal outreach, they attract these kids, who are mainly between 18 and 25 years old, simply by word of mouth, which usually happens at Port Authority, Penn Station, or various homeless shelters. Kate Barnhart is the Executive Director of the organization, and the only official staff person, as New Alternatives is fueled by volunteers. The organization offers two consistent programs—Sunday night there is a weekly dinner that is followed by the Life Skills group; Tuesday night there is Case Management where kids can get counseling, help on job applications and resumes, and legal guidance. New Alternatives sees 20 to 25 kids each week for Case Management; many of them are regulars and some are newcomers. In 2010 New Alternatives saw 130 different kids for Case Management.

Board member Geoffrey Ream, who is a professor at Adelphi University School of Social Work on Long Island, maintains records of program participants and regular attendees. His statistics highlight the positive impact of New Alternatives on the lives of the LGBT youth who are involved. According to Ream, 118 people came to at least four dinners in 2010, and would be classified as regular dinner guests. Sixty percent of the 118 were not working for regular wages (neither part-time nor full-time) when they first got involved with New Alternatives. Of that 60 percent, 22 percent of those who came to at least two group sessions were working for regular wages at the end of the year. None of the regular dinner guests who went to fewer than two group sessions, who did not have a job in the first place, found one.

I went to Sunday night dinner a few weeks ago to meet some of the kids and had the opportunity to talk with Alfred and Josephine. I walked in from a wet night outside; there was a wind and rainstorm. The hall in the church where the dinner takes place was warm, the food smelled delicious, and one of the kids was playing soothing music on the piano in one corner. Nearly 20 kids were scattered around in groups of two or three, catching up, laughing, and playing cards. Aside from the number of people and the location, it reminded me a lot of Sunday night dinners at my house growing up. I could see looking forward to this every week.

Alfred is a 24 year-old gay man, originally from Hartford, Connecticut. He talked about his past calmly and with a smile on his face. It is remarkable how well adjusted this young man is. He did not speak dramatically of what he has been through, but rather in a very matter-of-fact manner and with a positive spin. He shared with me that he ran away from home at 18, but was careful not to imply that he ran away because of his mother, who he spoke well of, and is a lesbian herself. Pressing for information, I asked him if he ever had a “rock bottom” as a homeless person. He said no, and moments later he casually mentioned in passing the nights he had spent sleeping on countertops or floors in homeless shelters. I stopped him and told him I thought that sounded pretty awful to me. He laughed and said simply, “yeah, I guess it was.” Alfred only lost his smile for a moment, when I said I had noticed that since we’d been talking a number of people had stopped by to say hello and I asked if he would consider this group his community. He shook his head “no,” then paused and said, “It’s really hard to get close to people when everyone’s in survival mode.”

Josephine, a 22 year-old transgender woman, became homeless after spending years in foster care. She talked a lot about her past—growing up in New York, being shipped to her father in Massachusetts, and eventually landing in foster care. She talked about her family’s drug problems and sex scandals in foster care and in the transgender community. This didn’t surprise me, transgender people face so many obstacles to education, health benefits, and jobs because of prejudices against them, and many of them are left with so few options that they end up as sex workers. What did surprise me is that she talked about it starting at such a young age, as a teenager. Unlike Alfred, Josephine seems to have found more of a community in homeless shelters and with other LGBT homeless people. She met her current boyfriend, who was sitting with us while we talked, two years ago in a shelter. They were thrown out of one shelter when a roommate told on them for being a couple, which is generally not allowed. That put them back on the streets as a couple, but the night that I spoke to Josephine she told me that in a few hours she would be moving into a new shelter, she had finally made it off of the waiting list. I congratulated her and asked if she was relieved. She shrugged her shoulders and gestured towards her boyfriend, “he’ll still be sleeping on the subway tonight.”

Though they have much different perspectives, both of these kids believe that they will have fully functioning and independent lives one day. Josephine would like to marry and has her sights set on running a production company. Alfred’s positive outlook has already paid off. He’s been a consistent face at New Alternatives for a number of years and next fall he’ll be starting at Hunter College, hopefully pursuing a career in fashion.

Next Saturday night a fundraiser will be held at Don’t Tell Mama on West 46th Street to benefit New Alternatives. 3 Tenors…In Search of an Act 2—featuring Bill Brooks, Edd Clark, and Steven Tharp—will be running at the theatre next week and has devoted the 6 p.m. show on Saturday April 2nd, to New Alternatives. For more information and tickets, go to the Don’t Tell Mama website.

New Alternatives is constantly trying to adapt to the rising number of LGBT homeless youth in the city, and to continue offering the services, comfort, and hope that these youth cannot find anywhere else. They offer Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners on the actual holidays, organized trips to the beach and museums, and last month there was a trip to visit the NYC School of Technology. To find out more about New Alternatives and how to volunteer or donate money, visit the New Alternatives website.