Contact Person: Elizabeth Denham
Contact Email: [email protected]
Contact Phone: 251-300-1324
Announcing the First Ever LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment in Southwest Alabama
Mobile, Alabama – September 20, 2022 – The Southwest Alabama Inclusion Project is a collaborative project of community organizations for the purpose of better understanding the lived experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. The coalition’s first initiative is to conduct a needs assessment for those in the LGBTQ+ community living in Southwest Alabama.
Spearheaded by Prism United, the group plans to use data collected in the assessment to determine how it can inform city, county and state policy decisions, help set community actions and priorities and establish goals to form a more inclusive, compassionate and safe community. Members also seek to better understand where funding is most needed and would make the most impact.
“Our Southwest Alabama community has never collected data to identify the situations, needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ people living here,” Dan Van Nostrand of Prism United said. “The data we have has been extrapolated from national data and is based on estimations. Having concrete information from the real people who are navigating our region as members of a marginalized and often legally unprotected community will help us find solutions, impact their quality of life and seek protections so that everyone living here feels safe and supported.”
The needs assessment will address the following data as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community:
- Demographics: Who are we? Where do we live? What are our ages, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses?
- What are our healthcare needs? Service needs? Programming needs?
- What services do we have access to? What services do we have difficulties accessing?
- What features of our community are present to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ people in Southwest Alabama? What features are NOT present?
The Southwest Alabama Inclusion Project is looking for those who identify as LGBTQ+ who either live in Southwest Alabama or who have lived here and moved out of the area. Data gathered will represent people in 10 counties in Southwest Alabama to include Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe, Clarke, Washington, Wilcox, Marengo and Choctaw.
The Southwest Alabama Inclusion Project is a collaborative project of Prism United, AIDS Alabama South, Lifelines Counseling, Door to Serenity, MedPride and Allies, Center for Fair Housing, LGBTQ+ Liaisons to the City of Mobile, Rainbow Pride of Mobile, Trans Pride of Mobile, Safe2BU, Southern Transgender Alliance, Spectrum USA, Order of Pan, Order of Osiris, FemmSouth, Independent Living Center of Mobile, Black Belt Community Foundation, B-Bob’s, Herz, Flip Side Bar and Patio, Gabriel’s Downtown, Ambitiously Him & Her King Foundation, Black Empowerment Team, Prime Timers, The Bevy, We the Change, Krewe of Phoenix and Citrus & Cane.
Corporate sponsors include AIDS AL South, Order of Osiris, Alabama Power Foundation and Poarch Band of Creek Indians
Anyone interested in participating in the needs assessment or volunteering for the project can reach out at [email protected] or learn more at https://alabamainclusionproject.org.
