Everyone needs a beacon of hope
In times like these, YOU can be that beacon, and send the message that LGBTQ+ youth are not alone.
Four friends of BAGLY - Matt, Mike, Don, and Lynne - know that helping LGBTQ+ youth starts with meeting their basic needs, and are inviting YOU to join them in making a difference today.
In keeping with their long-standing support, Matt and Don have graciously made a pledge to invest in BAGLY and will match $30,000 in donations to provide immediate relief through BAGLY’s Direct Aid initiative.
With your donations combined, you will support BAGLY’s Stabilization and Success program - which provides urgently needed direct support to LGBTQ+ youth. Your gifts will help keep them housed, warm, and fed through the winter months.
Our Stabilization and Success Program understands that the world is changing for queer and trans youth, and brave spaces like BAGLY don’t exist everywhere. Take Jasé, a trans youth who recently relocated to Massachusetts:
“I moved to Massachusetts from the Bible Belt, seeking the chance to medically transition and escape the racism and prejudices of the Midwest. I came to Boston, hoping it could offer me everything I was looking for as an 18-year-old Black trans boy on my own.”
We live in a refuge state: an honor but also a promise - to be the beacon within a world that currently does not guarantee safety, acceptance, and love. In Jasé’s case, BAGLY was able to stabilize his housing, offer food security, and set him up for success through a supportive community:
“I searched desperately for ways to get settled in a new city with no family or connections, and that’s when I found BAGLY’s SandS program. The program covered a full month of rent after I'd paid my move in costs, along with groceries for over a month. This allowed me to find a stable income while being housed, making it possible for me to get a solid start in Boston.”
Unfortunately, Jasé isn’t alone in his experience: did you know that more than half of BAGLY’s Direct Aid requests mention family rejection as being a factor in their housing instability? That’s why our Stabilization and Success Program approach is so important, because our support doesn’t stop after providing rent assistance - we holistically align youth with the resources they need to build a healthy and happy life. And we stick around when it matters most:
“Without programs like SandS, many underprivileged LGBTQIA+ youth would remain stuck in that cycle of hardship. From start to finish, BAGLY and the SandS program supported me, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.”
Together, we can transform the lives and landscapes of LGBTQ+ youth. So let’s do this, friends! No gift is too big or too small. Your dollars - matched by our friends create real-life, real-time impact: food on the table, houses over heads, transportation to interviews, and clothes to wear.