Podcast: Serving Homeless and Transgender Youth [1]
Meet two outreach workers from New York and Florida who work with some of the most vulnerable youth populations, homeless and transgender youth. As a former homeless young person, Legacee Medina shares her insight about meeting the needs of HIV positive youth who don’t have stable housing. You’ll also hear from Regina Gerbier, a transgender woman working to keep LGBTQ members in her community healthy and informed.
Guest Bios
Legacee Medina was born and raised in New York City. She is the oldest of five children and has been a youth advocate since she was a teenager. Legacee is the founder of an innovative new resource app, Legacee Kares. Legacee Kares caters to New York City’s homeless youth, connecting them to local services and support. Legacee has overcome homelessness, incarceration, and is open about personal struggles with depression. She identifies with her clients at Housing Works where she supports the advocacy department as a Client Liason. Legacee is a proud lesbian who lives with her wife in Brooklyn.
Regina Gerbier is a Miami, FL native. She graduated from Florida International University and has been involved in the community to address the many disparities affecting the LGBTQ community. After she learned that Miami and Broward County rank the highest in newly diagnosed HIV infections nationwide, Regina joined Latinos Salud where she has been working as an HIV counselor.
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About the Organizations
Housing Works is a healing community, comprised of people living with and affected by
HIV/AIDS. The organization aims to to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.
Latinos Salud was founded in 2008 to create a safe space for gay Latino men and their partners to connect with peers, resources, and support, such as one-on-one counseling and referrals to other LGBTQ-friendly providers. The organization has 24 staff members, who represent 10 different countries.
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Episode Highlights
[0:57] Introduction to Legacee Medina and where Legacee works.
[4:29] Legacee gives a little background on Legacee Kares, a resource app for youth in New York City.
[6:30] Legacee explains what it means to be culturally competent with youth.
[7:26] Regina Gerbier introduces herself.
[9:08] Regina talks about some of the challenges transpeople face.
[11:09] Regina discusses some of the social determinants of health that are barriers to transpeople accessing PreP.
[13:47] Regina shares about Latino Salud, a community based organization in Miami.
[14:45] Regina gives some insight on using social media for outreach.
Click here to access the transcript for this podcast: Serving Homeless and Transgender Youth [4]