Erin Dalton: Cultural competence and staff training requirements

To that end, DSS is committed to ensuring our services are culturally competent and welcoming.

At DSS, we are cognizant of the scale of the challenge in addressing housing security.

for LGBTQIA and TGNC communities.

Unique drivers for homelessness include familial rejection due to sexual orientation or gender expression and unlawful housing and employment discrimination.

An intersectional lens informs this conversation and our policies by bringing to the fore the way social identities interact with these communities.

Systemic inequalities and discrimination can compound the challenges members of these communities face, and we cannot flatten the diversity experiences within the LGBTQIA and TGNC communities.

For example, the many impacts of age, race, ethnicity, language, disability, class, documentation status, education, mental health, and more.

Providing culturally competent services includes recognizing the reality of our clients'experiences at those intersections of identities, strengthening our partnerships with community-based organizations, and ongoing engagement to gather feedback and improve services.

Building cultural competence begins with the foundation of setting expectations and training staff to meet those expectations.

DSS Office of LGBTQIA Affairs works to identify and address systemic barriers affecting clients across DSS, HRA, DHS programs.

This work includes improving service delivery, strengthening internal and external partnerships, and responding directly to client concerns related to access, discrimination, or safety.

All DSS, DHS, and HRA staff are required to attend an LGBTQIA inclusion training.

In addition to the mandatory

One-time training.

Employees are also required to attend refresher trainings every two years.

Providers and their staff are required to comply with New York City human rights law and citywide equal employment opportunity policy.

Providers may also require that staff attend trainings beyond what's required by city law and policy, including trainings focused on the unique needs of TGNC clients.

One such training available to city and provider staff is the placement procedure training for transgender and gender nonconforming clients, which focuses on creating a safe, affirming system for clients who self-identify as TGNC

and raises awareness about more gender-affirming placement options for TGNC individuals that are seeking shelter.