SERVICES
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS
COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS
RESIDENTIAL
sERVICES
Mothers gaining hope
Diaspora Community Services' Mothers Gaining Hope (MGH) is a transitional independent living program funded by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) for pregnant and parenting, runaway or homeless adolescents ages 16-20 for a period of up to 24 months. During their stay at MGH, youth are provided with a supervised and supportive environment that contributes to their becoming self-reliant. Residents receive case management services and counseling to assist with education and career goals, healthy parenting skills, financial literacy, health education and healthy relationship development. Programs administered at MGH underscore independent living and economic independence with a focus on attaining valuable life skills in a homelike, and empowering environment. The primary goal of Mothers Gaining Hope is to move the young mothers and their infants towards independent living by providing them with the resources and skills to live in the community as self- sufficient adults.
the connect house
Eligibility :
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Runaway/ Homeless
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Female, Pregnant, Parenting under the age of 5
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Age 16-20
Eligibility :
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Age 16-20
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Homeless
Diaspora Community Services' CONNECT House is a transitional independent living program funded by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) for LGBTQ+, runaway/homeless adolescents ages 16-20 for a period of up to 24 months. During their stay at the CONNECT, youth are provided with a supervised and supportive environment that contributes to their becoming self-reliant. Residents receive case management services and counseling to assist with education and career goals, financial literacy, health education and healthy relationship development. Programs administered underscore independent living and economic independence with a focus on attaining valuable life skills in a homelike, and empowering environment. The primary goal of Diaspora's CONNECT House is to move the youth towards independent living by providing them with the resources and skills to live in the community as self-sufficient adults.
The STAR Program promotes leadership development training and civic engagement opportunities to a select group of peer educators also known as our Core Group. STAR works to ensure access to comprehensive reproductive health care and family planning services for adolescents to prevent pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV/AIDS.
Our youth development programming expands educational, social, recreational, vocational and economic opportunities that provide adolescents alternatives to sexual activity. This facilitates the acquisition of life skills that support a successful transition into healthy young adulthood. Through this program, youth in North and Central Brooklyn are becoming knowledgeable about their sexual and reproductive health, have access to information and resources in their communities that will empower them to make responsible and proud choices.
STAR also provides youth and health educator-led workshops on-site (DCS) and in the school setting in areas around Brooklyn (as needed). Topics include but are not limited to: Anti-Bullying, Health Communication, Cultural Sensitivity, Bringing In the Bystander (Violence intervention) and Finance. Workshops can also be created at the potential hosts request. All inquiries can be submitted via email to the program manager, Vanessa Mejia.
STAR is funded through the Comprehensive Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiative.
healthcare
access
health homes
medical benefits assistance
Heath Homes is a program comprised of health care service providers working together to make sure you get the services you need through care coordination to stay healthy. Once you are enrolled in our Health Homes Program, you will be assigned your own care manager. The care manager will work with you to set up a care plan and appointments and get the services you need to put you on the road to better health.
Some of the services include:
• health care providers,
• mental health and substance abuse providers,
• medications,
• housing, social services (such as food, benefits, and locating transportation) or, other community programs that will support and assist you.
New York State’s Health Home eligibility criteria is as follows:
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Medicaid eligible/active Medicaid
AND
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Two (2) or more chronic conditions; or One (1) single qualifying condition of either HIV/AIDS, Asthma, Diabetes, or a Serious Mental Illness (SMI)
The Medical Benefits Assistance Program at Diaspora Community Services is funded to provide outreach in an effort to increase the number of minority individuals in the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program (ADAP) and its Primary Care component, (ADAP Plus). Funding enables MBAP to reach HIV+ individuals in Brooklyn communities who are uninsured, underinsured or undocumented to inform them about the availability of ADAP and ADAP Plus, HIV Home Care Program and ADAP plus Insurance Continuation Program (APIC). The goal of this program is to enroll HIV + individuals into the most comprehensive medical care and refer them to appropriate supportive services. Ensuring that there is no gaps in their medical care due to insurance access barriers.
Target population:
Minority people living with HIV, AIDS and residing in New York State.
Services offered:
Enrollment assistance into the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program (ADAP) and into comprehensive health insurance coverage via direct pay policies, and health insurance policies purchased through the New York State of Health MarketPlace.
Eligibility for Program Participation/Enrollment:
Living with HIV, Live in New York State, Income must be less than 435% the Federal Poverty Level
youth
programs
Hiv testing and
prevention
hiv and hcv testing
We are dedicated to providing HIV and Hepatitis C testing and prevention services to individuals in North and Central Brooklyn.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are also offering free take home testing kits.
Condom distribution
The Enhanced Condom Distribution (ECD) program is an HIV and STI prevention program aimed at increasing the availability, accessibility, acceptability and normalization of condom use. We focus on recruiting and establishing a network of non- traditional sites (i.e. laundromat, parks, nail salons, barber shops, etc.) and to ensure condoms and lubricants are made available at targeted outreach events in North and Central Brooklyn.
Our target populations are among sexually active:
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Latino and Black men under the age of 29 who identify as: gay, bisexual, and/or men who have sex with men (MSM)
AND
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Heterosexual women of color, over the age of 30
This program also seeks to address knowledge and comprehension by providing materials that are easily understood by individuals with varying levels of literacy or have a language barrier. By focusing on venues that service customers who identify within the priority population we aim to decrease stigmas around sex and contraceptives to build a safer and healthier community within the Brooklyn area
WOMEN OF COLOR
HIV PREVENTION SERVICES
The Women's Services HIV Prevention Program at Diaspora Community Services focuses on women of color in Central Brooklyn (East New York, Flatbush, Crown Heights, Bedford Stuyvesant, Canarsie, Brownsville) and is dedicated to administering free and confidential HIV and HCV testing to women in North and Central Brooklyn as well as providing STD/STI referrals, PrEP/PEP referrals, and behavioral interventions. In addition, HIV Navigation Services are available for women living with HIV who are not fully engaged in HIV care and treatment or HIV Negative persons engaged in high risk behaviors. Healthy Love, SISTA, Sister to Sister, and WILLOW are the various workshops for women ages 18+.
HEALTHY LOVE
HEALTHY LOVE
Healthy Love is a CDC-supported evidence based intervention that was designed to reach women of color who share the same social connection. Healthy Love is a four-hour session that consist of 12 activities that comprise three areas: Setting the Tone, The Facts, and Safer Sex. Healthy Love provides the participants with HIV/STD related facts, a personalized risk assessment, condom negotiations techniques and multiple condom use skills building activities delivered in a FUN sex-positive environment. Participants may use the eventbrite link to register for the session that best fits their availability.
WILLOW
SISTER-TO-SISTER
WILLOW
WILLOW intervention is a social-skills building and educational intervention for adult women living with HIV. It consists of 4 four-hour sessions which are delivered by two trained adult female facilitators, one of whom is a woman living with HIV. WILLOW emphasizes gender pride, informs women how to identify and maintain supportive social networks, teaches coping strategies to reduce life stressors, enhances awareness of STD transmission and HIV reinfection risk behaviors, teaches communication skills for negotiating safer sex, reinforces proper and consistent condom use, distinguishes between healthy and unhealthy relationships, and defines types of abusive relationships and their effect on a woman’s ability to negotiate safer sex practices.
SISTER TO SISTER
Sister to Sister is a brief (15- to 30 minute), one-on-one, skill-based HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk-reduction behavioral intervention for sexually active women of color between the ages of 18 to 45 years old. It is educational, engaging, and gender-appropriate and uses videos, brainstorming, demonstrations, and skill-building activities. As such, Sister to Sister is an effective tool for addressing the needs of the women who complete the intervention.
SISTA
SISTA
SISTA program is 5 two-hour sessions for HIV negative women of color ages 18 and up that consist of group discussions with topics that include ethnic and gender pride, behavioral self-management, and coping skills. SISTA was designed for African American/Caribbean women who are at risk for HIV and STD infection.
Community based
services
The “CARE” program serves as the central point between the community and services. The CARE program is a client-centered, culturally sensitive program that focuses on exploring an individual’s self-power while providing counseling through crisis intervention efforts, advocacy, referrals, and cognitive behavioral education. The purpose of this program is to address sexual victimization affecting men, women, LGBQT, Immigrants and the homeless in North and Central Brooklyn. We strive to build a stronger supportive caring community within the Brooklyn area.
Sexual Assault Support
Programatic Services
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Civil legal advocacy/court accompaniment
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Counseling/support group
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Criminal justice advocacy/court accompaniment
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Crisis intervention
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Employment counseling
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Hospital/clinic/other medical response
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Job training
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Material assistance
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Transportation
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Victim/survivor advocacy
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