By Jesse Steinberg, SMYAL Communications and Development Youth Fellow

At its inception three years ago, the DC LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition was a way for local LGBTQ+ organizations to collectively petition the DC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and City Council for funding where it mattered most.

Organizations like SMYAL, the DC Center for the LGBT Community, Whitman-Walker Health, the Wanda Alston Foundation, HIPS, Planned Parenthood of Metro Washington, DC, and many more have joined forces in this coalition to ensure that our local government is investing in the future of the LGBTQ+ community, especially our low-income residents and trans people of color–not just during Pride month, but year-round.

In practice, though, the Budget Coalition has become much more than that- it’s a space to build community, coordinate efforts, and strategize how to move our local LGBTQ+ movement forward.

“Thanks to the support of the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s LGBTQ+ Fund and Partnership to End Homelessness, 25 LGBTQ+ community-focused organizations have been empowered to advocate for the people they serve as well as one another, and ensure the District allocates specific funding to meet needs identified by organizations on the ground,” adds SMYAL Deputy Executive Director Jorge Membreño, MSW, LICSW. “SMYAL is proud to be a leader in this effort in partnership with many other community organizations.”

In its weekly meetings, the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition brings together leadership from across the city to identify our community’s most pressing needs, develop programmatic solutions, and advocate for funding of these programs to local government officials. The Budget Coalition has secured over $4.7 million in funding for 2022, and continues to engage members of the Mayor’s office and DC Council to identify areas for improvement.

The Community Foundation is unique in its commitment to local advocacy, as one of the very few grants that allows community organizations to directly advocate for what they need. The LGBTQ+ Fund and Partnership to End Homelessness has allowed SMYAL, a DC based nonprofit that serves LGBTQ youth ages 6-24, to deepen meaningful engagement with other LGBTQ+ organizations in the District, offer a broad range of additional resources to SMYAL youth, and expand its network of referral sources through implementation of new programs.

SMYAL has referred youth to multiple programs funded by the coalition’s advocacy, including the city’s trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) low-barrier shelter and TGNC youth workforce program. Other new programs, such as the LGBTQ+ Domestic Survival Housing, meet specific needs of young people in crisis and provide another avenue for SMYAL youth to access critical resources. By growing the network of support that exists for LGBTQ+ people in DC, SMYAL can continue to expand its offerings through a city budget that prioritizes the needs of our community.

The LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition’s number one priority is addressing housing insecurity for queer and trans people in DC. We’re immensely proud of the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition’s work in securing almost $1.5 million in recurring funding for designated LGBTQ+ housing programs in 2021, including vouchers for LGBTQ+ seniors, extended transitional funding for LGBTQ youth, and more.

Our work won’t stop here. DC can do more to protect vulnerable populations of LGBTQ+ residents, and the LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition will continue to use The Community Foundation’s support to petition the local government for additional funding. In the three short years since the DC LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition began its work, we’ve successfully secured almost $5 million in additional funding for the coming year.

It’s clear that our voices have been heard, and with the support of The Community Foundation and the other organizations involved in the Budget Coalition, SMYAL intends to continue speaking truth to power.

Writer Bio: Jesse (they/them/theirs pronouns) is a writer, photographer, embroidery artist, and SMYAL Youth Fellow from Manassas, Virginia. As a recent graduate of Northeastern University’s MA Media Advocacy program and alumni of American University’s Justice and Law program, Jesse is passionate about supporting and uplifting LGBTQ+ youth nationwide. They can usually be found at the Old Town Alexandria waterfront with an iced chai. Jesse’s current Spotify top artist is Orville Peck.