ACCESS TO FOOD & EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
To find a local food pantry or soup kitchen, please see HMI’s Resource Guide.
If you are an HMI member in need of emergency assistance to be able to buy food, please contact HMI so that we can email you a gift card that you can use to purchase groceries and other necessities. Email cmurray@hmi.org or call 212-674-2400 ext. 202 and leave a message. We’ll call you back!
PLEASE NOTE:
You may also view/downlaod HMI’s regular Food Pantry Resource Guides for the Bronx and Manhattan or Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, which can be referenced 24/7, 365 days a year by HMI youth.
MEDICAL SUPPORT
Online access to COVID-19 Resource Guides that include helpful information from various support systems have been published on HMI’s website.
HMI members who are already enrolled patients at HOTT/Callen-Lorde Community Health Center or HEAT Clinic (Dr. Birnbaum) should continue to access care at those clinics, and should call ahead for information from those providers. (NOTE: Not currently accepting new clients.)
HMI members and HMHS students can also access medical care (free, regardless of age) with our partner, the UNITAS – St. Mark’s Place Institute, a clinic with medical and mental health services. If you require medication refills or have a medical issue that requires immediate attention other than emergency concerns, please contact Tiffany Rivera at 212-674-2600 x299. She will obtain the information and documentation needed to facilitate services at Unitas Clinic. Due to tightened restrictions, she can no longer escort youth to the clinic. To streamline the process, youth should have the following information ready:
1) Name on prescription
2) Last dose and amount
3) Insurance
4) Where meds are typically received
5) Name/phone of doctor
Insurance Services Options for Healthcare:
- To enroll in Medicaid, please contact Spencer Olson at solson@hmi.org. All applications and renewals are being processed remotely. Spencer will schedule a phone call with you to walk through the referral form so that the navigation team at The Center can process requests.
- NYS is waiving the 7-day waiting period for Unemployment Insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) closures and quarantines. Visit NY State Department of Labor Unemployment site.
HIV TESTING SERVICES
As we move more and more resources to a remote platform, we’re happy to announce that we have developed an in-home HIV testing program that you can participate in for free! For those who would like to participate in the in-home HIV testing program, please reach out to Christopher Murray at cmurray@hmi.org.
COUNSELING BY VIDEO CONFERENCE, PHONE OR TEXT
EXISTING MEMBER WHO NEEDS COUNSELING?
NEED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH OUR PSYCHIATRIST DR. LAURA?
HMI counselors and our psychiatrist are providing youth members with regular 1-on-1 counseling sessions using virtual platforms and phones. (Youth who don’t have phones will be provided with mobile tablets, and information about where to access free wireless internet access.)
To Schedule An Appointment Follow These Easy Steps …..
- To schedule a counseling session with one of HMI’s licensed counselors, email Lizzie at lmcadam@hmi.org or call (212-674-2400 Ext. 271)
- Counseling sessions and meetings with Dr. Laura (HMI psychiatrist) are available now by phone or video (on doxy.me)
- To schedule an appointment with Dr. Laura for medication management or a letter of support (for housing, gender-affirming surgery, gender marker change, or other need), email Samah at sikram@hmi.org
- If you are a new client of Dr. Laura’s you must meet by video. If you are a returning client you can meet by phone or video.
If you need immediate assistance that cannot wait, please call the Trevor Project hotline at 866-488-1468
For youth who can’t do phone from their living situation, here are two TEXT based crisis lines:
The Trevor Project — 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678
LGBTQIA+ kids and teens can reach out to The Trevor Project for support during a crisis, if they are feeling suicidal or need a safe space to talk about any issue. You can also chat via their website or by texting START to 678678.
Crisis Text Line — Text Hello to 741741
Crisis Text Line fields messages about suicidal thoughts, abuse, sexual assault, depression, anxiety, bullying and more. What makes it unique is that it’s entirely text-based, which makes it easy for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable or safe talking on the phone to use it.
You can text 741741 in the US or UK (686868 in Canada), or message Crisis Text Line on Facebook for help. You’ll be matched with a volunteer counselor, who is supervised by a licensed, trained mental health hotlines.
Q CHAT SPACE
Internet-Based Peer Support
Youth ages 13-19 are welcomed to join live chat groups through a digital community for LGBTQ+ teens called Q Chat Space. Find and give support, have fun, connect around shared interests and get good information. Chat with like-minded peers in live chats facilitated by staff from LGBT centers across the country, including HMI.
Q Chat Space program is a partnership between HMI and CenterLink: the Community of LGBT Centers.
VIEW MONTHLY SCHEDULE OF HMI-LED CHATS
Log In and get ready to Q-Chat
VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING & INTERNSHIPS
VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING
HMI groups are still running … but with a virtual twist. So garb your phone or pull up to the computer and engage with our HMI staff and fellow HMI members …
NEED ASSISTANCE GETTING CONNECTED?
If you’re an HMI member and need help accessing the internet or don’t have a device to use for virtual programming, then simply call 212-674-2400 x202 or email Julien Perkins at jperkins@hmi.org and we will support you with that need.
Program Schedule:
MONDAY:
4-5 PM: Plays of Our Lives with Chelsi Kern
Join at https://www.gotomeet.me/playsofourlives
Plays of our Lives explores real-life issues and themes suggested by you, using improv games, art making, script reading, storytelling and more!
6-7:30 PM: Open Art Studio with Leesa
Join via Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/8933612025
Meeting ID: 893 361 2025
Express yourself through painting, drawing, and crafts.
TUESDAY:
4-5 PM: Get Psyched with KT and Dr. Laura
Make your individual appointment at https://doodle.com/poll/y82reftcn9nw9w7k
Find out what our brain does and how to show it some love.
6-7:30 PM: Trans Digi-Treats and Non-Binary Bytes with Theo and Adrien
Join at https://www.gotomeet.me/TransTreats
Join our online support group to talk about your gender and how it intersects with all the other parts of your identity.
WEDNESDAY:
3:30-7 PM Case Management … In Quarantine with Spencer and May-Ling
Get individualized support by appointment with any questions you have about housing, IDs, or any other case management questions
General: Email Spencer at solson@hmi.org
Housing: Email May Ling at mben@hmi.org
THURSDAY:
4-5 PM: Self-Love with Camille
Join via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/91989975177?pwd=bVNxcWJLd2ZrZkxGalBDWHp3bEFidz09
A virtual open group highlighting and celebrating sexual education for youth
FRIDAY:
3-5 PM: Virtual Astor Lounge with Camille Gaji
Join Zoom here.
Meeting ID: 944 5157 7393
A place where members can hang out with friends, listen to their favorite music, and play games with staff and other members!
5-6 PM: Here and Meow with Crimson Porco and Socorro Hernandez
Live on Instagram @crimsonkitty
A youth-centered discussion on topics such as COVID-19, racism, and the world coming to an end because people refuse to wear masks.
6-7 PM: Virtual Coffee and Conversations with Kayla, Jay & James
Join us on Discord at discord.gg/pRghQSw
Be a part of topics that not only affect you, but the world around you.
VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS
To maintain the internship programs, HMI is equipping staff and youth with laptop computers, mobile tablets, and wireless signal boosters, so that we can continue the internships remotely, via virtual platforms, shifting training materials to google classrooms, and creating weekly curriculum and project-based learning for current intern groups in order to continue to pay youth stipends. If you are a part of an HMI paid internship, please reach out to your internship manager for specific details on virtual classroom rules.
HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY SUPPORY
HMI’s High School Equivalency program is operating remotely and any HMI member who are interested in studying remotely for their high school equivalency diploma should contact Chuck Crespo at ccrespo@hmi.org.
NEW MEMBER? WANT TO JOIN HMI AND GET ACCESS TO THESE GROUPS?
We are working to get our intake process moved online as soon as possible. To get on the list, email Lizzie at lmcadam@hmi.org.
PLEASE NOTE: You will need access to video chat in order to sign up.
TALK – WE ARE HERE FOR YOU
Please continue to reach out to us for any support needs and questions you may have. We will be checking voicemails consistently from 8:00 am – 9:00 pm, 7 days per week and will call you back.
For general questions and support, call 212-674-2400 x202.
WANT TO BECOME A NEW MEMBER?
We are working to get our intake process moved online as soon as possible. To get on the list, email Lizzie at lmcadam@hmi.org.
PLEASE NOTE: You will need access to video chat in order to sign up.