Needs Assessment

The DC Trans Coalition  and allied organizations are in the midst of a new Washington, DC-area needs assessment study for transgender, transsexual and gender non-conforming populations living in the District of Columbia – the first research project of its kind in over a decade.

Many trans folks in DC face particularly great challenges gaining access to employment, basic health care, housing and shelter. Our primary goals for the assessment are to explore and document many issues facing members of the trans community, including:

• General health and access to medical, mental and trans-sensitive health care
• Employment, underemployment and unemployment
• Housing and homelessness
• Interactions with police and the broader criminal justice system, including in jails
• Access to education, including violence in schools
• Immigration and documentation status
• Youth and elder-specific concerns

Documenting this information shows us what the greatest obstacles and issues facing trans folks are, allowing us to advocate more successfully for change with city officials, policy makers and organizations.

The project consists of a series of community roundtable meetings, a follow-up survey, and a final written report of our findings.  We have now completed the roundtable phase, so be sure to check out our summary findings from that phase.

We need both participants and support! Here’s some more information on how YOU can be involved:

Take the survey! Participation is open to all trans and gender-non conforming folks living in the District! We’ve trained community members to give surveys to their peers, or you can take it online in English or Spanish.  Incentives will be provided to those who successfully distribute surveys, as well as those who take the survey.  Completing the survey will take about 20 minutes of your time.  If you’d like to volunteer as a survey distributor, contact us!

Financial Support: This kind of project is not without its costs. Support through financial or in-kind assistance to help support this project is greatly appreciated! For the roundtable phase, over 30 organizations and individuals contributed almost $4,000 to support our work.  We raised another $10,000 for our survey phase so far, including grants from Williams Institute at UCLA and the Diverse City Fund. All gifts are tax-deductible, with thanks to the sponsorship of our partner organization, the Association for Gender Research, Education, Academia and Action (AGREAA). Our goal is to raise another $15,000 to finish and analyze the survey, and all donations get invested right back into empowering trans folks in DC! Donations (PayPal, check, or cash) can be made online, in person or through snail mail!

Click below to donate. Please note that donations made on this page will exclusively support the needs assessment, and will not be used for any other purpose.

To participate, or get information about supporting and donating, please contact us at 202.681.DCTC or at dctransneeds@gmail.com. Se habla español!

Community Partners

• DC Area Transmasculine Society
• HIPS
• Latin@s en Accion
• SMYAL
• Transgender Health Empowerment, Inc.

Supporting and Endorsing Organizations

• American University Queers and Allies
• Brighter Days Collective
• Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC
• Rainbow Response Coalition
• Washington Peace Center
• Whitman-Walker Health

See also: Our blog posts about the Needs Assessment.