Translifeline

TRANS LIFELINE IS A NATIONAL TRANS-LED 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF TRANS LIVES BY RESPONDING TO THE CRITICAL NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY WITH DIRECT SERVICE, MATERIAL SUPPORT, ADVOCACY, AND EDUCATION. OUR VISION IS TO FIGHT THE EPIDEMIC OF TRANS SUICIDE AND IMPROVE OVERALL LIFE-OUTCOMES OF TRANS PEOPLE BY FACILITATING JUSTICE-ORIENTED, COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY AID.

IN 2021, TRANS LIFELINES HOTLINE PROGRAM ANSWERED A TOTAL OF 15,498 CALLS FROM 8,978 UNIQUE CALLERS AND AVERAGED A 66.4% MONTHLY RATE OF NEW CALLERS. 2021 TRANS LIFELINE WAS ABLE TO SEE THE IMPACTS OF PROVIDING SERVICES THROUGH A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. SINCE THEN OUR FOCUS HAS BEEN ON EXPANDING OUR CAPACITY.IN AN EFFORT TO CONNECT MORE WITH INTERSECTIONAL COMMUNITIES, THE HOTLINE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHED A PROGRAM THAT ADDED OPERATORS TO OUR DEPARTMENT THROUGH OUR BIPOC PEER SUPPORT LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP. THE OPPORTUNITY TOOK ON 5 PEOPLE WHO JOINED THE ORGANIZATION AS FELLOWS FOR A 6 MONTH INTENSIVE PROGRAMONE OF THOSE FELLOWS IS NOW A MEMBER OF OUR STAFF. ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT MADE BY THE HOTLINE DEPARTMENT IN ORDER TO BETTER SUPPORT OUR OPERATORS WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNAL TRAINING WORKSHOPS HELD VIA ZOOM MEETING, ALSO OFFERED IN A MORE SELF PACED CAPACITY FOR REVIEW. ADDITIONALLY, WE CREATED INTERNAL PATHWAYS TO HEIGHTEN THE LIKELIHOOD OF OPERATORS IN INTERSECTED COMMUNITIES BEING CONNECTED TO SUPPORT CALLERS IN SHARED INTERSECTED COMMUNITIES.SHORTLY AFTER THAT FELLOWSHIP FINISHED, WE SAW SHIFTS IN LEADERSHIP THAT BECAME CRITICAL. OUR DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR TRANSITIONED OUT OF THE ORGANIZATION, FOLLOWED BY OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHORTLY AFTER, THEN WE ENTERED AN INTERIM PERIOD. THROUGH OUR INTERIM PERIOD, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPERIENCE MORE IMPACTFUL INTERNAL SHIFTS, LIKE REVALUING THE LABOR OUR DIRECT SERVICE STAFF PROVIDES. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE SEEN REFLECTED IN THE 2022 BUDGET FOR SALARIES AND COMPENSATION, TO IMPROVE NOT ONLY HOTLINE DEPARTMENT STAFF PAY, BUT ALSO TO CREATE MORE ACCESSIBILITY FOR HOTLINE DEPARTMENT STAFF TO CONFERENCES, DEVICES, SERVICES AND EXTERNAL TRAINING TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT OF THEIR PEER SUPPORT WORK.AMIDST THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE FALL AND INTO THE WINTER, WE TOOK TIME TO TIGHTEN OUR SECURITY BY IMPLEMENTING A NEW CALL ENCRYPTION, TO LIMIT THE RISK TO CALLERS THROUGH OUTSIDE ACCESS TO ANY POTENTIALLY UNENCRYPTED CALL OR CALLER INFORMATION. THE FINAL STAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION FOR THIS POLICY WERE COMPLETED IN 2022.

IN 2021, TRANS LIFELINE'S MICROGRANTS PROGRAM DISTRIBUTED $171,456 IN SMALL GRANTS TO 238 INDIVIDUALS AND $199,300 IN GRANTS TO 11 SMALL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS FOR UPDATED LEGAL IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS, LEGAL NAME AND GENDER CHANGES, AND COMMISSARY SUPPORT. FOR GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS, THIS REPRESENTS A 49% DECREASE OVER 2020'S $336,610 IN FUNDS DISTRIBUTED. FOR GRANTS TO SMALL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, THIS REPRESENTS A 128% INCREASE OVER 2020'S $87,219 IN FUNDS DISTRIBUTED. WHILE THESE PIVOTS IN DIRECT SERVICE DELIVERY RESULTED IN A SHIFT FROM GRANTING TO INDIVIDUALS TO GRANTING TO ORGANIZATIONS, THE TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT DISTRIBUTED ONLY REDUCED BY ABOUT 12% AND THE PROGRAMMATIC BENEFIT OF THIS APPROACH IS A WIDE NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS COMMUNICATING AND COLLABORATING WITH ONE ANOTHER ABOUT HOW TO OPTIMIZE AND STREAMLINE OUR MICROGRANTING WORK.

TRANS LIFELINES COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCACY PROGRAM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATING OUR ORGANIZATIONS MISSION, HOTLINE SERVICES, MICROGRANT OFFERINGS AND CYCLES, AND AFFIRMING RESOURCES TO TRANSGENDER PEOPLE IN NORTH AMERICA THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, EMAIL, AND MEDIA RELATIONS CHANNELS. THIS PROGRAM SECURED FEATURES AND ARTICLES IN OVER 35 PUBLICATIONS IN 2021, INCLUDING COSMOPOLITAN, THE DAILY BEAST, NBC, NEW YORK TIMES, BUZZFEED, THE VERGE, AL DIA, MARIE CLAIRE, YAHOO UK, FORBES, AND MORE. IN 2021, TRANS LIFELINES COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCAY GREW TO INCLUDE A TWO BILINGUAL COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONALS THAT SUCCESSFULLY INCREASED ACCESS TO TRANS LIFELINES CONTENT AND SERVICES FOR MONOLINGUAL SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES. THE COMMUNICATIONS & ADVOCACY PROGRAM ALSO CENTERED BLACK AND INDIGENOUS AUDIENCES FOR MULTI-WEEK CAMPAIGNS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH, LATINX AWARENESS MONTH, AND RESPONDED TO THE IMPACTS OF ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATION AIMED AT YOUTH ACROSS THE COUNTRY. ADDITIONALLY, THIS YEAR MARKED TRANS LIFELINES PLANNING PHASE AND THE START OF OUR FIRST ADVOCACY EFFORTS, AIMED AT REDUCING NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF POLICE INTERVENTIONS ON CRISIS CALLS TO HOTLINES, PARTICULARLY AS THEY IMPACT TRANS AND NONBINARY YOUTH, BIPOC, AND DISABLED CRISIS CALLERS. THESE EFFORTS INCLUDED PLANNING AND BUDGETING TO LAUNCH A STANDALONE ADVOCACY DEPARTMENT TO BUILD A NATIONAL COALITION-BASED CAMPAIGN AIMED AT PUBLIC EDUCATION AND HOTLINE POLICY CHANGE EFFORTS AROUND SURVEILLANCE AND POLICE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE ROLLOUT OF THE FCCS 988 MANDATE, FORTHCOMING IN 2023. TO THIS AIM, WE SERVED ON THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINES LIVED EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE TO ADVISE ON GEOLOCATION AND SURVEILLANCE ISSUES, AND SUCCESSFULLY PUSHED A NUMBER OF POLICY CHANGES AND CONCESSIONS ON GETTING POLICE OUT OF CRISIS CALLS.