In the early hours of June 28, 1969, Marsha P. Johnson, along with several other brave leaders, participated in the Stonewall uprising, which ushered in a new era for LGBTQ rights, making New York City more inclusive for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people. New York City has been — and must always be — a place of tolerance and acceptance for marginalized communities.

As we celebrate the start of Pride Month, whose origins date back to the Stonewall rebellion, the city agencies we represent — the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) — along with our sister agencies throughout the entire Adams administration, continue to stand up for all New Yorkers, including transgender men and women, through a broad range of services designed to empower and support the most marginalized among us.

While some seek to demonize an entire class of people because of their gender identity, or even refuse to recognize their very existence, the Adams administration is doubling down on the work and on our commitment to support the TGNC community.

From housing to health care to job readiness programs to education, our goal is to deliver a city that supports and uplifts every single person who calls New York City home. And we encourage anyone who identifies as transgender and gender non-conforming to access services at DSS, ACS, and DYCD if they are in need.

In short, and we can’t say it emphatically enough: we have your backs.

We know that gender identity is a driver of homelessness in New York — the numbers of TGNC New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered and sheltered homelessness has steadily risen in recent years.

As DSS continues to expand capacity and add TGNC beds, we are planning on opening our first-ever dedicated TGNC-affirming shelter facility in New York this year. The city-funded transitional housing facility will offer support to TGNC New Yorkers experiencing homelessness in addition to the dedicated beds that exist in shelter facilities across the city that offer care and support for at-risk TGNC New Yorkers.

DSS has worked hard to strengthen TGNC inclusivity across our system with a policy of respect and empathy, placing unsheltered clients where they feel safe and where staff can ensure appropriate and culturally competent services. DSS has implemented training for all staff to support this population and has made available safe channels for reporting instances of discrimination. No one will ever be denied access to a facility because of their chosen gender identity.

We also know that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system.

That’s why ACS is committed to protecting and uplifting TGNC young people, including those in foster care and the juvenile justice system, as well as their families, by creating an affirming environment that not only keeps them safe but also celebrates and uplifts their identities. ACS is working hard to ensure these youth in foster care have access to appropriate and comprehensive gender-affirming medical and mental health services.

In addition, all ACS and provider agency direct services staff and supervisors must take the ACS LGBTQ staff training, which covers best practices for engaging LGBTQ youth, outlines the ACS LGBTQ policy, and provides staff with affirming language. Foster parents also take LGBTQ training that teaches about sexual orientation and gender identity via a childhood developmental lens and provides language on how to talk to children and adolescents about identity.

DYCD funded the city’s first Runaway and Homeless Youth shelter for trans and gender non-conforming youth more than 15 years ago, and we created safe and affirming spaces for young people to access gender-supportive services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Runaway and Homeless Youth providers offer borough-based drop-in centers, Transitional Independent Living, Crisis Services, and Street Outreach for 16-to-24-year-olds, including the TGNC community. Mayor Adams’ recent announcement of 100 new beds for older youth will help even more young people to find the support they need.

As part of DYCD’s Summer Youth Employment Program, SYEP Pride connects young New Yorkers to supportive and welcoming early career opportunities with employers specifically committed to LGBTQ youth through their organizational missions and employee resource groups. In preparation of hosting SYEP Pride interns this summer, hundreds of employers from across the city will join DYCD during Pride Month for training opportunities with the NYC Unity Project and the City Commission on Human Rights.

The TGNC community deserves our support, and we are stepping up to meet that need, today and every day.

Park is commissioner of DSS. Dannhauser is commissioner of ACS. Howard is commissioner of DYCD.

https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/06/03/how-mayor-adams-is-supporting-nycs-tgnc-youth/