Earlier this month, Gay and Lesbian Community Services, in partnership with the Perth Inner City Youth Services, won the 2006 WA Community Services Industry Award for their innovative Opening Closets project in the category of ‘strengthening the community services industryâ?.

The Opening Closets project aims to improve access to supported accommodation and create partnerships across a range of services to support people of diverse sexualities and genders, particularly in rural and remote areas where support options are limited.  Its major component is a training manual for staff and agencies in the support services sector to make services more welcoming and understanding of people with non-mainstream sexuality and gender.

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Coordinators and individuals involved in creating and facilitating the project were thrilled to receive the award at Observation City in Scarborough, at an event funded by the Department of Community Development.

‘It is the first time in WA that the specific needs of people of diverse sexualities and genders are being addressedâ?. Kerstin Stender, Opening Closets Coordinator told OUTinPerth.

Opening Closets is funded under the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), the primary response of state/territory and Federal governments to homelessness in Australia. SAAP provides transitional supported accommodation and other support services such as counselling and outreach services to help people who are homeless, or are at imminent risk of becoming homeless, to be able to ‘find their feetâ? and ultimately become self-reliant and independent.

Opening Closets has its foundations in a joint GLCS/ WA Aids Council (Freedom Centre) research project undertaken in 2002, which examined the experiences of young people of diverse sexualities and gender expressions on how they access supported accommodation. 

Based on interviews conducted with young people and youth SAAP service providers, the research found that the overwhelming majority of young people were exposed to homophobia while staying at a SAAP service and 75 per cent of them received limited support from staff in regards to their sexual orientation.

‘I told this one worker and she gave me a flyer for a drop in centre for same sex attracted young people.  It was the most anyone in a hostel had done.  They didn’t follow it up with me.  I couldn’t go there by myself, it was too scaryâ?, was one of the comments.

Significantly, Opening Closets is now part of the SAAP service system and an example of an improved response to homeless people of diverse sexualities and genders.

The Community Services Industry Awards has been an initiative by the State Government since 1994. The awards recognize the efforts and contributions of people and organizations throughout the state, in the community services industry.

GLCS has been around for over 30 years and primarily acts in the provision of telephone counseling, information and as a referral service for people who have recently ‘come outâ? or who have recently moved to WA. PICYS has been addressing the needs of inner-city young people ‘at riskâ? for over 25 years by providing services such as accommodation, drop-in facilities, drug counseling, opportunities for work experience and confidential advocacy.

The two organizations, GLCS and PICYS, have a long history of providing vital services that are accessible for all West Australians and their management of Opening Closets highlights this. For more information about Opening Closets program and training assistance, phone 9486 9855 or 9388 2792