Happy Gay Pride Weekend!! 6/28/25
It was the Friday night before the big Gay Pride March and Caren (Levine) and her daughter Emily walked around Hell’s Kitchen looking for the Metro Baptist Church. We had no idea what to expect as we arrived at the party hosted by Kate Barnhart and the organization known as “New Alternatives for LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth”.
As written in their mission statement :
New Alternatives is dedicated to reducing homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in New York City by addressing areas critical to their development and well being: Housing, physical and mental health, education and employment. With a strong focus on harm reduction and long-term support, we offer a broad range of direct services and referrals to meet the needs of our clients.
The Phil Zwickler Charitable and Memorial Foundation Trust was looking for a new grantee to fill our growing roster. Through our long term relationship with Andy Humm, who serves as New Alternatives board President we were introduced to Kate. Allen (Zwickler) first met with this dynamo of a women in her small cramped headquarters at the Church. They discussed whether New Alternatives would be a match for our foundation and whether Phil would have given his OK. After a positive meeting Allen wanted to get to know more, before we offered our financial assistance.
At their midtown drop-in center they offer walk-in services including: case management, counseling, psychiatry, meals, life-skills training, hygiene items, harm reduction supplies, tutoring, recreational activities and holiday celebrations. They hold group sessions led by a volunteer psychologist as well as an on staff Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. There are volunteer tutors available to assist with GED or SAT prep, college applications, financial aid and paperwork. In addition to all of this New Alternatives offers specialized services for HIV+ youth (30% of the clientele) in conjunction with Project Stay and New York Presbyterian Hospital. These HIV+ youth receive assistance navigating benefits such as HASA housing and Medicaid, while they work to maintain mental health.
Since opening the doors in 2008, Kate and her modest staff have provided a safe haven for these underserved youth. Recent studies indicate that LGBTQ+ youth compose nearly 40% of the homeless youth population in NYC. New Alternatives strives to transition these youngsters to stable adult lives and welcome all youth with no barriers for entrance.
BACK TO THE PARTY:
We arrived at the church before the party was called for so that we can be of some assistance and get the feel of the community. There were a handful of young people hanging around outside looking ready and eager to get in. After getting past the security guard and the delicious smell of grilled hot dogs, we found Kate at the entrance ready to receive her guests. After some introductions and pleasantries, she pointed us to the food table and asked us to get ready to serve the hot dogs, hamburgers, (all the trimmings), pasta salad, fruit salad, cheese and crackers and assorted soft drinks.
Within a half hour, the small room in the church basement was rocking. There was a DJ playing, “I’m Coming Out” on a boom box and a tall metal fan to cool the room!
At first some of the attendees seemed a little shy, but soon their plates were full, and I mean full. It was impossible not to notice how much these young people were eating. At that moment it was very obvious how much this meal meant to them, I had to remind myself that they might not know where and when their next meal would come from. One particular boy was so unkept and wouldn’t let go of his 3 plastic bags. He devoured food with one hand and held his bags with the other.
Emily spent time talking directly to them one on one – Emily is a mental health counselor who deals with these issues on a daily basis in her job. She found that they all knew and appreciated Kate and the organization. Most of them come every Sunday night when they serve dinner and hold the different support groups. They were all very polite and willing to talk. Some of the young ladies were discussing their baby girls. I wonder where those babies are — Some were deeply involved in their cell phone – I wonder where those came from —. Everyone went to the large bins that were filled with free hygiene supplies and took as many of each as they could carry.
I chatted with the other two women helping who looked like me. One was a nurse in New Jersey who had (also) lost her brother to AIDS. She is a board member and told me how her and her sister are at all of the big events. The two women couldn’t stop sharing wonderful stories about the work this amazing organization accomplishes with such a small amount of funding.
As I served the beverages, I kept hearing Ray Davies singing LOLA in the back of my head – “ GIrls will be boys and boys will be girls … it’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world.”
New Alternatives for LGBTQ+ homeless youth is a worthwhile organization and the Phil Zwickler Foundation is proud to be one of their new supporters.