Community Resources
This page will be updated with community resources available to 2S-LGBTQIA+ youth during COVID-19. We know that many of the supports and groups available to 2S-LGBTQIA+ youth were cancelled when COVID-19 hit Hamilton, so we hope that this list helps you find alternatives. If you need support with something that isn't covered here, contact us and we'll help you as best we can! (For more information on each resource, click on their name to be taken to their website).
Hamilton Organizations
What: A trans and non-binary prioritized space that is committed to fostering community, solidarity, support, advocacy and access to resources, particularly for community members who are marginalized due to race, class, age, mental health, and/or abilities.
Providing: Care package deliveries (including groceries, masks, toiletries, gender gear, pet food, and cleaning supplies) and check-in phone calls to trans and non-binary people, as well as families with trans youth. Kyle's Place can also support with covering the cost of hormones for a short period of time, as well as the cost of name and gender marker changes.
What: Compass is a community health centre located in the north end of Hamilton.
Providing: On their Positive Space page you can find an FAQ about changing your name and gender marker, videos demonstrating how to safely do HRT Injections from home, how to do at home hair cuts, and their Safer Space, Move in Place video series about staying physically active while at home. Compass also has an LGBTQ+ advocate who runs programming for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, and who can support people in navigating services in Hamilton and at Compass.
Crisis and Peer Support Lines
What: A Queer, Trans, Two-Spirit youth-led organization that affirms and supports the experiences of youth (29 and under) across Ontario.
Providing: A peer support line via text, chat, and email by trained 2SLGBTQIA+ volunteers, Sunday to Friday from 4:30-9:30pm EST.
What: A grassroots hotline created and run by and for trans people in North America.
Providing: A crisis and peer support line, in English and Spanish, run by trans people, for trans and questioning callers. Their operators are located all over the U.S. and Canada, and are all trans-identified. Trans Lifeline has a policy against engaging in "non-consensual acts of rescue", meaning that they will not call the authorities or police if you call them in crisis, without your explicit permission.
Mutual Aid
What: A mutual aid group started in response to COVID-19 by the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, Hamilton Student's Mobilization Network, and Erich's Cupboard.
Providing: Free grocery and hygiene product deliveries to anyone in Hamilton. You can request a grocery or hygiene product delivery by filling out the request form linked above. They also have a Facebook group to "organize the local community on the grassroots level to ensure vulnerable community members have access to food, housing, healthcare, and other necessities", where you can post requests for aid or support.
