Hurricane Helene Response
Our hearts and minds are heavy as Hurricane Helene's devastation continues to unfold. Our community has experienced unthinkable loss, yet community is what is holding us together during this extremely difficult time for Western North Carolina (WNC) and our Appalachian neighbors.
We are incredibly thankful that all of our staff made it through this alive and resourced. Youth OUTright has taken a pause, holding to our values that staff are humans before workers who deserve autonomy to meet their needs without fear of going unpaid. We’ve also been exploring our roles and responsibilities to best serve our community.
When you examine our work with Queer and Trans youth, you will see community care at its heart. At this time, we have shifted work priorities to meet the immediate needs of LGBTQIA2S+ young people during this state of emergency. We have been assessing our available resources and how to best move forward. Below you will find an outline of our 3 phase approach to community care.
Phase 1: Mutual Aid
Youth OUTright has been in contact with our established donors to secure disaster relief funding. As a 501c3, Youth OUTright is in the position to support grassroots mutual aid organizations that are already on the ground, distributing life-saving resources and aid. We are partnered with Pansy Collective, an established WNC grassroots mutual aid group, to fund the distribution of materials and supplies like the items listed below.
Clean drinking water
Nonperishable/canned foods
Formula
Camping stoves
Fuel/gas
Charcoal
Water purifiers
Water containers
Batteries
Flashlights
First aid materials
Toilet paper
Baby/Body wipes
Diapers
Period products
Cleaning supplies
Phase 2: Emergency Funding Distribution
Youth OUTright established the Direct Youth Payment Program (DYPP) in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support young people in danger of losing or having lost access to basic necessities due to financial burdens. We distribute $10,000 from this fund annually.
We are raising funds to engage at least another 200 DYPP recipients by the end of 2024. Once we are prepared to distribute funds, young people attending our programs will be prioritized. If additional funding remains, we will launch the application to the public. We are currently accepting donations to support this program.
Phase 3: Community Space
The youth center is currently without potable water. We are exploring solutions and want to ensure we can provide the resources needed for Queer and Trans youth to be comfortable in the space.
When we open the center, we will be adapting our normal programming to meet current needs and offer hot meals. We will partner with local LGBTQIA2S+ mental health professionals to offer listening and healing circles for youth. We’ll also offer spaces for distraction and play, such as watching movies, craft making, or playing video/board games.
As we absorb the sheer magnitude of destruction, the media will continue to name this experience a natural disaster. But we know there is nothing natural about the decades of colonization of native lands and extraction from the Appalachian hills. This devastation is a direct result of climate change driven by white patriarchal capitalism and greed.
As an organization built on racial, gender, and disability justice, it is our duty to continue to educate Queer and Trans youth on these histories and realities as we forge forward. Community building, healing, and growing together are the antithesis of capitalist greed and the oppressions marginalized communities face. With liberatory education as our foundation, we embody our values in our mutual aid work to come.
This disaster has left many of us in different mental states: shock, denial, anger, action, grief…
We urge you to show yourself compassion and know that you are not alone. We will push forward, as the Queer and Trans community have always done, by supporting one another. We are resilient and we will continue to bloom after the flood.
With love,