New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) is an organization that supports LGBTQ and HIV-affected survivors of violence through counseling, advocacy and legal services while working towards a violence-free tomorrow. AVP is available to all the members of our community, 24 hours a day + 7 days a week. Sometimes that means helping people with immediate injuries after a bashing, other times it is helping them plan to get to safety when they are ready to take that step. We provide what they need at the time they reach out, and help people with longer-term plans, counseling, and advocacy when asked. Having volunteered as a hotline crisis counselor when I first moved to New York, I’ve returned to AVP serving on the board and now as Development Committee co-chair. It’s an amazing little agency, we are there when people most need help and assistance.
The cornerstone of AVP programming is our free 24/7 bilingual hotline which receives over 2000 calls a year from LGBTQ and HIV-affected survivors of violence. These callers then benefit from free, confidential services including counseling, economic support, safety planning, housing and benefits acquisition and more. Callers to the hotline become AVP clients who have a web of support from the AVP community, which serves over 21,000 New Yorkers annually. It is estimated that 17% of New Yorkers identify as LGBTQ+, and AVP is the only organization in the city wholly focused on their safety and security.
Join me in reaching my goal of raising $10,000 for AVP.
You can learn more AVP and hear from our staff here: https://avp.org/first/