Via Shutterstock.
Across the country, people are commemorating the 16th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which not only raises public awareness of violence toward transgender people, but remembers those who have been victims of such atrocities.
In D.C., the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. (474 Ridge Street NW) will host a vigil and service in solidarity with the annual commemoration at 6 p.m. But for Ruby Jade Corado, executive director of Casa Ruby—a bilingual, multicultural LGBT organization in D.C.—every day is a reminder of the harsh realities and issues facing transgender people, including unemployment and homelessness.
“More than 50 percent of transgender people in D.C. are unemployed,” Corado told DCist in a recent phone interview, “and that translates to high levels of incarceration. Then people get caught up in a cycle, and it’s very difficult to get out.” Since 2004, when it was incorporated as a non-profit, Casa Ruby has worked diligently to help the local LGBT community, including through the development of an employment program to help transgender residents find work.
“Having a job is a basic tool that everyone should have for becoming independent,” she says, “and not have to dangerously engage in behavior that puts their life at risk.”
But now, Corado is turning to the community for help in the organization’s latest endeavor: The opening of a 12-bedroom shelter for homeless LGBT youth.
“Most of [these] issues affect people of color,” Corado says. “We have built them a structure where people have a safe zone.” Though Casa Ruby recently won a grant from the Department of Human Services to run the facility, Corado says they still need $30,000 to open it and announced a major fundraising blitz yesterday.
Earlier this year, Casa Ruby was one of six LGBT organizations who had their funding grants rejected by The Community Foundation For the National Capital Region. According to Corado, she was told by The Community Foundation that they don’t “fund populations,” they “fund issues.”
“I said, ‘If you really knew our issue of unemployment, you would have [continued] funding for our program,'” she says.
In a statement to The Washington Blade in April, Community Foundation President Terry Lee Freeman said that “there are a number of reasons why an organization might not be funded. In some cases it’s because they do not fit with the guidelines or funding criteria or did not properly complete the application.”
The Blade adds that “criteria listed on the City Fund website include a requirement an organization must have an IRS 501 (c) (3) tax exempt status; that it cannot be an “advocacy” organization,” which is why Casa Ruby, along with the other LGBT organizations, had their funded grant rejected.
But Corado has already had many conversations with mayor-elect Muriel Bowser about the issues facing Casa Ruby and is working as part of her transition team as a liaison for the LGBT community. “Our number one priority is employment,” Corado says of Casa Ruby. “I’m very happy with the work that we’ve done. We have over 1,000 clients on record right now. That’s a lot of people. But I always have to figure out how to keep things going.”
