{"id":143742,"date":"2024-04-04T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=143742"},"modified":"2024-04-05T17:20:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T17:20:37","slug":"transgender-veteran-brings-visibility-to-lgbtq-and-homeless-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=143742","title":{"rendered":"Transgender Veteran brings visibility to LGBTQ+ and homeless communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Air Force Veteran Ares Paige has been doing a lot of interviews about his work with the homeless and LGBTQ+ communities. As a black, transgender man, Paige knows the power of seeing someone who looks like you when you often feel invisible. He knows those facing homelessness may be more likely to ask for help if they think there\u2019s someone on the other end who understands.<\/p>\n

And Paige does understand, as he\u2019s been down that road.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been that person who was starving. I\u2019ve been that guy who didn\u2019t know if he was going to have a roof over his head the next day. I don\u2019t like to see it any more than I like to be it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rebounding from homelessness<\/h2>\n

Paige\u2019s first bout of homelessness came when he was 15, after a conflict with his parents. Though he eventually found somewhere to stay and later enlisted in the Air Force, he became homeless again in late 2021 after his mother died. Her house, where he had been living since separating from his wife, went into probate.<\/p>\n

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He couch-surfed and slept on the street for some time, eventually taking matters into his own hands. He combed VA\u2019s website<\/a> to learn about the benefits and housing support that he might be eligible to receive.<\/p>\n

Despite it being the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Paige was quickly connected with services at VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System<\/a> in Cleveland. He spent two weeks at a hotel in quarantine before being moved to a shelter, then into his own apartment through the Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program<\/a>. \u201cI can\u2019t believe how quickly everything happened,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

In addition to housing, Paige also uses VA for his health care, including regular visits to the VA Pride Clinic<\/a> to have his testosterone levels checked.<\/p>\n

While acknowledging his recent experience with homelessness may have been easier because he appears to the world as a cisgender male, Paige wants other LGBTQ+ Veterans to know his experiences with VA have been overwhelmingly positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times, they get scared going into shelters because of their status. Give VA a chance. VA people have shown me that they will protect you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Pursuing his passion<\/h2>\n

Paige is committed to creating a safe space for other members of the LGBTQ+ community and those facing homelessness.<\/p>\n

After working in private security and as a software engineer, he\u2019s now the outreach recruiter and administrator and staff liaison at the Bayard Rustin LGBTQ+ Resource Center in Akron, Ohio.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a unique community resource, providing drop-in services for food and supplies, a clothing bank, and shower and laundry facilities. The center is available to everyone, giving community members a chance to interact with those who are LGBTQ+ and see that they are more alike than different.<\/p>\n

In the future, he would love to open similar resource centers in other states and possibly become a social worker like those who assisted him on his way back from homelessness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a passion for this kind of work. I just want to help, man. That\u2019s the honest truth,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

VA programs\u00a0<\/h2>\n

VA takes pride in serving all who served. Visit the VHA LGBTQ+ Patient Care Services website<\/a> to learn more about the health care services available. For more resources:<\/p>\n