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Home >> New Program Launched for LGBTQ Seniors in Miami-Dade

New Program Launched for LGBTQ Seniors in Miami-Dade

April 3, 2017 by Robert Kulas.

A new program called SAGE Miami is hoping to bring renewed hope to the LGBTQ senior community throughout Miami-Dade County. Find out how this unique program may be able to improve the lives of elderly LGBTQ residents in the area.With America increasingly focusing on the needs of the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, it’s easy to forget that different groups within that community often require even more attention. Elderly LGBTQ individuals often have concerns that go well beyond more publicly-debated issues like marriage equality and bathroom laws. For many seniors, discrimination in housing and other areas of basic living have been a reality for many decades – and many elderly LGBTQ persons often suffer in silence, without the advocacy that they deserve. A new program called SAGE Miami hopes to change that dynamic.

The group launching the new program is called Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE USA), and it’s partnering with Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS) to provide services to Miami-Dade County’s elderly LGBTQ community. SAGE Miami will focus on helping those seniors with issues ranging from social services to education. It’s the type of thing both SAGE USA and JCS have been engaged in for some time now.

The Partnership: SAGE and JCS

The program was launched at Temple Israel of Greater Miami in a celebratory event that brought together speakers from JCS, SAGE Miami’s new program director, and former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Ruth Shack, who provided the keynote address. Shack is perhaps best known for her sponsorship of the County’s 1977 Human Rights Ordinance.

SAGE USA is a national organization with a 20-state network that includes 30 affiliates. That network will provide SAGE Miami with the ability to quickly mobilize and provide community programming and services to benefit elderly LGBTQ residents in the county.

Meanwhile, JCS brings its own vast resources and knowledge base to the partnership. JCS has been providing services to older residents in the area since 1920. Its focus on assisting LGBTQ elders officially began in 2010, and the group’s new relationship with SAGE will see it expand the programming that it provides to that community. As JCS president and CEO Fred Stock noted, the new partnership is a natural evolution in the work that JCS has long been engaged in with seniors in the area. He focused particular attention on the issue of housing for LGBTQ seniors in the area:

“There is a lack of what I would call LGBTQ friendly affordable housing in this community. Now it’s acknowledged there are issues with affordable housing in a general sense, but most of the housing that’s available in this particular community is not friendly towards the LGBTQ community.”

Together, SAGE Miami and JCS plan to devote programs and assistance toward resolving issues like housing discrimination – something that many seniors often struggle to address on their own. For many LGBTQ seniors, discrimination has been something that they’ve lived with all their lives. Often, elderly individuals even become so accustomed to facing housing and employment discrimination that they aren’t even sure how to begin to confront the issue. Of course, discrimination is but one of the issues confronting LGBTQ seniors in the county.

A Host of Needs

Like the elderly in many other communities, LGBTQ seniors often confront issues like loneliness and social isolation. There are also deep cultural divides separating them from many of their elderly peers in the area, and many are left to live on their own. Poverty is a noteworthy concern as well, and many of these seniors don’t have the core support that seniors in other communities might take for granted. That can lead to a lack of caregiving as well, and healthcare concerns that would ordinarily be addressed through support systems.

SAGE Miami has plans to tailor its programming to address many of the most pressing concerns. Its efforts will include training for healthcare workers and social service providers to ensure that they have the cultural awareness to properly serve the LGBTQ community. There will also be an emphasis on providing opportunities for LGBTQ individuals to become more socially active, make new friends and learn to support one another. Finally, SAGE will offer in-office and at-home counseling on an individual and group basis.

A Welcome Addition to the Area

Programs like this are a welcome addition to the community in and around Miami-Dade County. Seniors struggle in many areas of Florida, and LGBTQ seniors often face added hardships that often go unaddressed by the broader community. Without special attention from projects like this, many of those seniors’ voices would never be heard, and their issues would go unaddressed for far too long. Obviously, no single program can work miracles overnight, but the launch of SAGE Miami should bring some much-needed attention to the problems confronting the most senior members of the area’s LGBTQ community.

We’re Always Here to Help

Elderly LGBTQ residents often have special legal issues to contend with as well. In addition to discrimination based on their age, they often face added difficulties related to their sexual preference and identity. Many experience abuses that can range from physical and emotional mistreatment to financial crimes. Often, there is no one there to advocate on their behalf, and they suffer in silence. And, of course, LGBTQ seniors can experience unique challenges when it comes to estate planning and providing a legacy for their loved ones. They deserve to have someone in their corner, fighting to ensure that their interests and rights are properly protected.

At Kulas & Crawford, we’ve had a long-running commitment to providing our friends and neighbors in the LGBTQ community with the widest possible array of LGBTQ estate planning services and elder law assistance. We understand the complicated challenges that can make estate planning more difficult than it should be, and we have the solutions you need to craft the ideal plan for your needs. Our expertise in both LGBTQ and elder law concerns makes us uniquely qualified to assist lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-gendered seniors in the area with their most pressing issues. If you’d like to find out more about how our team can help you with all your most important legal worries, contact us online or call us today at (772) 398-0720.

Filed Under: LGBTQ

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I have known Robert Kulas for 20 years since I was co-executor for friends who had Mr. Kulas prepare a Trust for them. When I felt I needed a trust also, I came to him. I have always been completed satisfied with his work and that of his charming, competent staff.

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Mr. Kulas and his staff have been extremely helpful & knowledgeable for the over 3 years we have been associated. They are easy to talk to and explain everything without feeling rushed. Very competent and professional.

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I have worked with Mr. Kulas & staff before. And they are very professional. I am very satisfied with Mr. Kulas and his staff and give them the highest satisfaction and 5 star rating.

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Robert Kulas and staff made making a will an easy to understand process. They were very knowledgeable and attentive to my wishes. All my documents were provided in an organized binder which will be a great asset to my family. I would definitely recommend them.

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Everyone treated us extremely well.  Robert explained how a trust works and the benefits of having one.  We decided to move forward and complete the process.  He was very kind and knowledgeable.  Julie was also very helpful and very patient with our questions.  We felt very comfortable with this firm handling our affairs.  We would highly recommend this firm to our friends and family.

~Janice M
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"Everyone treated us extremely well.  Robert explained how a trust works and the benefits of having one.  We decided to move forward and complete the process.  He was very kind and knowledgeable.  Julie was also very helpful and very patient with our questions.  We felt very comfortable with this firm handling our affairs.  We would highly recommend this firm to our friends and family."

Janice M
Client Review
August 25, 2020
    

Robert Kulas and staff made making a will an easy to understand process. They were very knowledgeable and attentive to my wishes. All my documents were provided in an organized binder which will be a great asset to my family. I would definitely recommend them.

Krissy L.
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August 25, 2020
    

I have worked with Mr. Kulas & staff before. And they are very professional. I am very satisfied with Mr. Kulas and his staff and give them the highest satisfaction and 5 star rating.

Leo C.
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Mr. Kulas and his staff have been extremely helpful & knowledgeable for the over 3 years we have been associated. They are easy to talk to and explain everything without feeling rushed. Very competent and professional.

Mildred W.
Client Review
August 25, 2020
    

I have known Robert Kulas for 20 years since I was co-executor for friends who had Mr. Kulas prepare a Trust for them. When I felt I needed a trust also, I came to him. I have always been completed satisfied with his work and that of his charming, competent staff.

Joan C.
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August 25, 2020
    

We began our estate plan process in 2004 (12 years ago) and have been pleased with the periodic reviews we have gone through and when changes have been needed the firm has been thorough and professional in making those changes.

L.G.K.
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