VPART Violence Prevention and Response Team

Are you an LGBTQ+ community member who has been a victim of violence?  Do you know someone who’s been a victim of violence?

If so please reach out to us and we can connect you with our VPART Violence Prevention and Response Team.

 

The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center VPART Intake Form

You can either call The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center at 202-682-2245
Email us at [email protected]
Or meet us in person @ 2000 14th Street NW, Suite 105, Washington, DC 20009

 

The Violence Prevention Response Team also known as VPART is a collection of community organizations and government agencies that work together to address, reduce, and prevent crimes (particularly hate-bias) within and against the LGBTQ+ Community in the District of Columbia. The team members effectively respond to instances of violence, they create awareness, educate the community, connect victims to resources, provide training and enhance responses to crimes.  Along with offering trauma-informed therapy and casework, The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center directly supports LGBTQ+ survivors with our vast slate of life and human services as well connects LGBTQ+ survivors to legal assistance, mental health services, shelter assistance, and other resources victims of violence may need. If you are LGBTQ+ and are a victim of violence, or know someone who is, you can refer them to the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center and we will make sure they are supported and connected to the resources they need. 

The VPART Program is supported by the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet the Staff: Jocelyn

Photo of Jocelyn Jacoby in a grey shirt with a blue background. Photo is centered over rainbow background with geometric shapes.

Welcome Jocelyn Jacoby (she/her) to the DC Center! Jocelyn is a Licensed Graduate Social Worker and will be joining the DC Center as the Anti-Violence Program Director and Psychotherapist. Jocelyn’s background is in managing victim hotlines and she is grateful for a position to directly serve LGBTQ+ survivors of trauma in her community of Washington, DC. She is excited to join the Behavioral Health Services team and to meet all the activists involved with the Anti-Violence Project. Jocelyn especially looks forward to working in a place that is openly queer and the opportunity to create a safe space for those in crises. You can meet Jocelyn at the DC Center on weekdays and some evenings. 

Birthdate, Astro Sign

July 5th: Cancer Sun, Libra Moon, and Sagittarius Rising. 

 

Where are you originally from? 

I was born in California, raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, and my family has lived in NYC for the past decade. 

 

Why did you start working at the DC Center? 

In Hebrew, tikkun olam roughly translates to “repair the world” and is a signature theme of Jewish tradition. I am always looking for mission-based work that aligns with my values and gives me meaning. I was thrilled by the opportunity to join the DC Center in  educating, empowering, uplifting, celebrating, elevating and connecting the LGBTQ+ community of Washington, DC. This position was especially exciting to me because it combines advocacy and program management opportunities along with clinical services. It is my belief that I can better understand the needs of LGBTQ+ trauma survivors by working at the individual level alongside the community level.

 

What has been your favorite part about working at the DC Center?

My favorite part of working at the DC Center has been getting to know the staff members and the wonderful work they do. It is such an honor to be part of this group. 

 

What is your music anthem? 

Having just received my Spotify Wrapped, I can confirm with data that my most listened to artist is Lorde. Once the weather starts warming up, I am listening to Solar Power on repeat. In the darker months, I am more likely to be listening to Liability on Melodrama. 

 

What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community? 

My first instinct was to say resiliency, however, I hesitate because resiliency forms through adversity. I hate the expectation that those who face oppression and hardship have to be resilient. We should be allowed to be soft, to be taken care of. So instead of resiliency I will say joy. Yes the joy in the face of hardship, but also the joy fostered by kinship, art, and unique individuality. My wish is that this queer joy can exist in a world that does not challenge it. 

 

What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there? 

I adore living in Washington, DC and have many favorite spots. I love being able to be in a city and also escape into nature. The U.S. National Arboretum in particular holds a special place in my heart. I try to visit throughout all the seasons. I sit and admire the foliage in autumn and smell the flowers in the spring. I take friends and show them how expansive and peaceful it is. 

 

What is your favorite queer movie?  

Two of my favorite queer movies are But I’m a Cheerleader and Paris is Burning. I love the camp and aesthetic in But I’m a Cheerleader and the queer history and incredible vogueing shown Paris is Burning. 

 

What color would you paint the White House, given the chance?  

Pink! If I was in charge, basically everything would be pink. I can add Pink by Lizzo as a newer music anthem in my life. Barbie core has been fabulous and I will continue to choose everything pink even after it is out of style.

 

Who do you look up to in the queer community?

There are so many historical and current queer activists and icons that I look up to. Two I want to highlight are Audre Lorde and Victoria Cruz. Being exposed to Audre Lorde’s work nearly a decade ago played a foundational role in my feminist and queer identity. Her intersectional approach to confronting injustices is one I have tried to internalize along with her emphasis on love. Victoria Cruz is an LGBTQ+ and anti-violence activist whose entire career has been an inspiration to me. She is well known for organizing alongside iconic activists such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. She also served as a Domestic Violence Counselor and Advocate at the NYC Anti-Violence Project. I can only hope to emulate the work she’s done with LGBTQ+ trauma survivors. 

Case Management & Advocacy Specialist Position Available

Case Management & Advocacy Specialist
The DC Center for the LGBT Community

The DC Center for the LGBT Community is hiring! 

Since 2003, the DC Center has worked to educate, empower, celebrate, and connect the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities in the District. We envision communities where LGBTQ+ people feel healthy, safe, and affirmed. The DC Anti-Violence Project (DCAVP), a program of the DC Center founded in 2008, works to reduce violence against LGBTQ+ individuals (and those perceived as LGBTQ+) through case management, advocacy, crisis intervention, community outreach, education, and individual and group counseling.

Position Summary
The DCAVP is seeking a community-based trauma-informed mental health professional to serve as our Case Management and Advocacy Specialist (CMA). The CMA provides case management and advocacy for LGBTQ+ survivors of trauma, violence, and abuse in the DMV area. The CMA also provides community leadership in collaboration with survivor services providers to strengthen appropriate and effective response of LGBTQ+ competent service provision to LGBTQ+ trauma survivors in the District. The CMA works directly with community members individually via email, phone, HIPAA-compliant Zoom and in person, works as a member of the Behavioral Health Services (BHS) team supporting two licensed mental health clinicians in connecting BHS clients to needed services and works as a team member of the DC Center.

Skills and Experience

  • Licensure to practice case management or mental health services in DMV
  • Minimum 2 years’ experience working as a trauma-informed case manager and advocate with a diverse client population
  • Experience working with LGBTQ+ adult clients
  • Crisis assessment, intervention and referral experience
  • Experience working in an interdisciplinary community center setting
  • Experience conducting and maintaining outreach to other service agencies for direct referral pathways for warm-handoffs of clients for services
  • Knowledge about substance abuse, mental illness, housing issues, and intersecting systems of oppression 
  • Experience in providing telehealth via Zoom HIPAA-compliant video platform as well as in-person service provision
  • Ethical, intercultural client care and community relationship skills
  • Ability to problem solve and communicate at all verbal and written levels
  • Experience working well as a team member
  • Prior nonprofit experience

Functions and Duties

  • Be the point of contact and triage for those who contact the DC Center seeking mental health assistance, case management and advocacy
  • Provide trauma-informed and interculturally competent case management assistance to LGBTQ+ survivors of trauma, violence and abuse in accessing appropriate organizations and providers for services 
  • Provide email/phone/drop-in and virtual response to and follow-up with clients’ requests for advocacy, info & referral and warm-handoffs 
  • Provide client crisis intervention and referrals to appropriate support systems (safety plans, hospitalization, referrals, etc.) 
  • Build and maintain an LGBTQ+ friendly providers network of competent, trauma-informed, culturally diverse mental health support services partners 
  • Facilitate the monthly community meetings of the DCAVP and manage the outreach and advocacy activities
  • Write and coordinate DCAVP Community Impact Statements to support hate bias cases, in partnership with the US Attorney’s Office
  • Respond to requests for DCAVP collaboration and expertise on LGBTQ+ client needs and best practices with the partnering organizations in the District
  • Assist with quarterly reports and other grant deliverables for the OVSJG grant throughout the fiscal year
  • Utilize EHR and calendaring systems for accurate records of all clinical and non-clinical interactions using the protocols of BHS and The DC Center
  • Work well with an interdisciplinary staff team to facilitate effective communications, team support and warm hospitality in the setting of an actively utilized community center. 

Please send qualified resumes with cover letters to [email protected].  Salary range is within $48,000-$50,000. The position includes health insurance, vacation and personal leave benefits. Position is grant-funded annually (Oct 1 through Sept 31). Open until filled.

We Are Moving!!! Read Our Press Release About Our New LGBTQ+ Community Center

Street view of the outside of the DC Center's New Space

We’re so excited to share the big news!

We’re Moving!

Check out all the details about our new location in our press release and watch this space for more details to come!

This amazing next chapter in our LGBTQ+ community members lives needs your support!

Please click here and donate what you can to help support the creation of our new space!

Click here to read our press release

 

  • thumbnail of the press release

 

 

Rendition/Photo Credit: Hickok Cole, our architects on this project

Welcome Elizabeth Johnson, LCPC

Introducing new team member, Elizabeth Johnson LCPC.

Welcome Elizabeth Johnson, LCPC, to the DC Center for the LGBT Community!
Elizabeth (she/her/hers)
joins our Working Through Trauma groups facilitation team in Behavioral Health Services at the Center. Elizabeth will be co-facilitating the Queer All Genders Working Through Trauma group with DC Center Therapist Christina Cappelletti. 

Birthdate, Astro Sign:
Sun sign is Leo. I am a Gemini rising and Aries moon

Where are you originally from?
Camden, Arkansas, which is in the southwest corner of the state.

What brings you to working at the DC Center?
The DC Center offers hope and support to folks looking to live their best life. I want to be a part of that.

What is your music anthem?
I have pretty eclectic music taste, so whatever gets me closer to what I want to feel.

What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there?
Wherever brunch is happening!

What is your favorite LGBTQ+ book?
A Well of Loneliness by Radcliff Hall because it beautifully highlights the complexity of love and identity.

Who do you look up to in the LGBTQ+ community?
James Baldwin. His writing about identity has inspired curiosity about my identity as a person and within society.

SEEKING: Co-facilitator Position for Queer All Genders Working Through Trauma Group

Job Opportunities at the DC Center for the LGBT Community

Queer All Genders Working Through Trauma Groups Co-facilitator Position Open at the DC Center for the LGBT Community: Contract Therapist 

March 2022 by Christina Cappelletti, LGSW

Are you a trauma-informed, licensed mental health clinician interested in working for an established LGBTQ+ community organization in Washington DC? Do you have expertise in LGBQIA+ TGNC2S BIPOC clinical issues? Are you available 3 hours one evening per week for 12 weeks starting in late April or early May? The DC Center for the LGBT Community is seeking to contract with a clinician to co-facilitate our Queer All Genders Working Through Trauma group. Currently, the group is offered remotely via Zoom. If the pandemic conditions shift toward reliable public safety, groups would be held in-person at The DC Center’s location in Northwest Washington, DC (street parking or one block from U St Metro station). The Contract Therapist will co-facilitate the group with a full-time licensed DC Center Staff Therapist.

Special Skills:

The Contract Therapist must have the appropriate licensure to practice in DC (LGSW, LICSW, LPC) and have at least 2 years’ knowledge and experience working as a clinician with LGBQIA+ TGNC2S BIPOC client populations. Bilingual in Spanish a plus. 

Functions and Duties:

  • Co-facilitate one 90-minute weekly Queer All Genders Working Through Trauma psychoeducational therapy group, one evening a week (either Mondays or Tuesdays as determined by facilitation team), utilizing curriculum provided by DCC Behavioral Health Services. Groups are closed membership, consisting of 8-10 clients. Intakes will be conducted by the DC Center Staff Therapist.
  • Meet with the co-facilitator pre-and-post group for prep and debrief each week.
  • Meet with the co-facilitator for a preliminary meeting the week before the group begins to review curriculum and group member intake information, and after the group ends, to debrief the group and review participant evaluations.
  • Comply with DC government COVID vaccine requirements for government-funded service providers.

Apply: Please send qualified resumes and cover letters to Christina Cappelletti, LGSW, [email protected]

Compensation: $1,440.00 for the project

Welcome Sade Adeeyo, LGPC

Welcome Sade Adeeyo

Welcome Sade Adeeyo to the DC Center for the LGBT Community!
Sade (she/her) joins our Working Through Trauma groups facilitation team in Behavioral Health Services at the Center. Sade looks forward to getting to know and supporting the QW*WTT cohort as well as learning and growing with each member.

Birthdate, Astro Sign:
November 5, Scorpio

Where are you originally from?
Born in Cambridge, MA – grew up around Boston, Gary and Indianapolis.

What brings you to working at the DC Center?
I’m a social justice worker looking for meaningful opportunities to support those of us at the margins – especially during this pandemic.

What is your music anthem?
“Optimistic” by Sounds of Blackness

What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community?
The healing, liberation and affirmation that comes from finding chosen family.

What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there?
For the past two years, it has certainly been my apartment and I do everything there including dance parties, party of 1.

What is your favorite LGBTQ+ movie?
Paris Is Burning and The Birdcage

What color would you paint the White House, given the chance?
Black + purple

Who do you look up to in the LGBTQ+ community?
Way too many warriors to list, but Audre Lorde is MY LOVE (next to my boo of course!).

DC Center Reopening FAQ

As we reopen, the DC Center is doing our best to meet the needs of our community while creating a safe environment for our staff, volunteers, and visitors. Please see below some of the information available about our space, our meetings, and other questions. We will update this information as necessary as the situation changes or we understand better what information people are looking for.

 

What are The DC Center’s hours of operation?

  • Mondays through Fridays from 12pm to 6pm
  • Saturdays from 11am to 3pm
  • Sundays are closed

After 5 pm on weekdays or on Saturdays, please enter from the side of the building (facing U Street) and state that you’re coming to the DC Center to the security team, who will let you in.

 

Are support groups/meetings meeting in-person, virtually or hybrid?

Based on surveys and conversations with peer group facilitators and participants, we are offering a hybrid (physical with webstation for Zoom), completely virtual, and in-person only, at each groups’ discretion. The information is available on the event sign-up for each group (easily found via: thedccenter.org/calendar)

 

Which groups/meetings, and when, are offering a hybrid (in-person with webstation) meeting option? (This list subject to change as groups choose to return to the DC Center’s offices)

2nd Fridays: WiTT from 8 – 9 pm

2nd Saturdays: GenderQueer from 1 – 3 pm (in-person only)

4th Wednesdays: Job Club from 6 – 7 pm.

4th Wednesdays: Ace/Aro Peer Support Group from 7 – 8:30 pm.

 

Which groups/meetings, and when, are offering a virtual (Zoom) only meeting option?

Any groups not listed above are meeting virtually.

 

Can I just walk-in to participate in a hybrid support group/meeting?

Currently, the Center is unable to accommodate walk-ups for peer support groups. Registration in advance will be required for peer support group meetings. Information in this regard will be circulated among peer support group leaders and participants as well as be listed on the Center’s website. This is to help make sure the room is not over-crowded.

 

Are therapy meetings still being offered at the Center?

At this time mental health therapy groups and sessions are available virtually (via HIPAA compliant Zoom) or in person. Therapy locations will be chosen based on conversations between clients and therapists, based on comfort/safety and availability.

 

When is the Center expected to open back up and what are some of the processes?

  • Monday through Friday 12 to 6pm; Saturday 11 to 3pm.
  • CyberStations are available via three computers.
  • Mental Health services are available either virtually or in-person based on client/therapist decisions.
  • New and expanding clothing closet and food pantry for those in need of clothes and food.
  • The Art Gallery is opening while the office is open.

Now that the Center is reopening again, what kind of opportunities are available for those in the community who would like to get involved?

  • The best way to stay current with the Center’s activities is to subscribe to our newsletter via our website which comes out every week. This includes volunteer opportunities, information about art installation, monthly programs, and all different social media accounts to get news updates.
  • Volunteers wanting to become a support group facilitator are provided with the necessary training.
  • Joining a support group is the best way to stay connected to the Center and others in the community.
  • There is an events volunteer list to help in events like help preparing to open before events.
  • Members of the community can also join a board committee to help and learn how the Center works.

 

What will be the mitigation efforts to reopen the Center back safely?

  • The DC Center asks that if you are feeling ill, please wear a mask in our space.

Are masks required at the Center?

  • The DC Center asks that if you are feeling ill, please wear a mask in our space.

 

What kind of sanitation procedures will be implemented to prevent the spread of the COVID-19?

  • A sanitation station that includes wipes/sanitizer and masks are available to community members.
  • Air purification system will be provided for various spaces within the Center.

 

If rates of COVID continue to rise in DC will the Center remain open?

  • Federal and local guidelines will be closely monitored and adhered to, up to and including closing the Center due to an increase in COVID cases in the DC area to ensure the safety of our employees and constituents.

¡Bienvenido/Welcome Michele Johns, LGSW!

Michele Johns, LGSW, Therapist

!Bienvenido a Michele al DC Center/Welcome Michele to the DC Center!

Michele joined us in 2021 as one of our trauma-informed, licensed mental health clinicians. Michele speaks English and Spanish. We are very excited to have Michele on the DC Center team!

Here is some info about Michele:

I love working with staff, volunteers, and folks who connect to The DC Center.  The DC Center is an exciting place that invites and welcomes and nurtures authenticity and creativity – and real and lasting connections – through art, community, therapy, education, and advocacy.

I enjoy leading groups, working individually with folks, and connecting to the other aspects of the Center – like the open mics, art, and movie gatherings.

I look forward to bringing my full self to The DC Center – my queer, social justice-y, artistic, therapist, religiously trained, Spanish-speaking, nature-loving, pet-loving self!

 

Birthdate, Astro Sign:

–October 2, Libra

 

Why did you start working at the DC Center?

–I wanted to be a part of a dynamic, creative, authentic, place doing real and transformative work with and for our LGBTQ+ community!

 

What has been your favorite part about working at the DC Center?

–Collaboration with amazing, creative, and dynamic team and working with folks who come to The DC Center for connection, care, and healing!

 

What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community?

–We are resilient and creative!  We know pain and we know how to have a great time!  We know how to make joy come alive!  We know how to make sparkling lemonade out of dry lemons!  We know how to create and recreate family and community, to rise from the ashes and live in vibrant color!

 

What color would you paint the White House, given the chance?

–Rainbow, of course!!

 

Who do you look up to in the queer community?

–There are so many I look up to with deep gratitude and respect.  I look up to the artists – who birth creations that touch souls and transform minds.  I look up to those who led uprising and were then ignored and discarded.  I look up to those who were closeted in order to survive and were quiet revolutionaries.  I look up to courageous leaders in spiritual and religious settings who name truths of the inherent worth and dignity of each person.  I look up to the amazing performers in “Pose” – who have fought to be where they are and transform lives with their audacity to live their lives out loud!  I look up to children and youth of today, many of whom have more freedoms to be themselves – and to the adults and caregivers around them who are following the lead of the children, rather than imposing rigid norms of how and who to be.

Queer Women Working Through Trauma Therapy Group Oct 13-Dec 15, 2020

Queer Women Working Through Trauma

The Queer Women Working Through Trauma group invites individuals to focus on processing trauma as a group through a variety of therapeutic techniques, learning to manage triggers and painful memories, and other behavioral processing activities. Participants will also focus on the mind-body connection throughout the course of the group, engaging in art and expression activities, mindful meditation/visualization, deep breathing, and other tactile exercises to help process through trauma responses while creating accessible coping strategies.

The group is held weekly for 10 weeks on Tuesday evenings from 5:45 pm – 7 pm. The next cycle of the group will start on October 13 and will meet remotely via Zoom. If you are interested in being a part of an upcoming cycle of the group or getting on the waiting list for the next one, please contact our staff therapist, Christina Cappelletti, LGSW, to set up a time for a telecounseling intake session: [email protected]

This group is offered at no cost to clients, thanks to a grant from the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants.