For our 2023 Prideraiser campaign, the Rose City Riveters support New Avenues for Youth, whose important programs include SMYRC, Bridge 13, and The Living Room. Pledge an amount per goal today, and your total donation will be calculated based on Thorns goals scored in the month of June. Please join us to support this important community organization.

From the organization:

New Avenues for Youth is a Portland-based nonprofit dedicated to the prevention and intervention of youth homelessness. Our services for young people (ages 9-25) focus on the individual—their experiences, identities, needs, and goals—and helping them make positive change in their lives. From meals and counseling to job training and housing, their equity-based services address the many barriers to stability and well-being that young people face. Each and every day, we show up in compassionate, creative ways, ensuring that they always have a place to turn.

Unfortunately, LGBTQIA2S+ Youth are disproportionately represented in the homeless population, and 57% of young people we serve identify as Queer or Trans. Because of this, we offer both culturally specific programs for this group, as well as staff integrated into each of our programs to support specific needs along their journey. The Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC) provides culturally specific case management, counseling, education, engagement activities, and more for LGBTQIA2S+ youth. We also offer Bridge 13 community education, which provides workshops for schools, businesses, and organizations on how to better support and affirm LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. In an exciting recent development, The Living Room, a culturally specific organization serving LGBTQIA2S+ youth in Clackamas County, has become a program of New Avenues!