PFY Awarded Five-Year HIV/STI Prevention Grant

PFY is proud to announce that it is the recipient of a five-year grant from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute to address the continuing and emerging HIV/STI needs of LGBT young people in Nassau County. Funds will expand PFY’s peer education program, replicate the national model Mpowerment Project and create a Youth/Adult-Led Consortium on Adolescent Sexual Health. PFY's HIV-related services, supported by NYSDOH since 1995, have been a core part of its operations for many years. State policy requires that all contracts go out for a competitive re-bidding process avery 5 years. The new application represented a new AIDS Institute Initiative titled: “Sexual Health Promotion for Young People Through Youth Leadership and Community Engagement.” The initiative puts a focus on youth-driven services and projects that reach across communities to stimulate structural changes. These new guidelines were a natural fit for PFY according to Long Island Crisis Center’s Associate Executive Director, and former PFY Director, Andy Peters. “Youth involvement has been our philosophy from the start,” says Peters. “We’ve also built a positive profile in the community through our LGBT advocacy and training programs.” NYSDOH chose just 16 organizations statewide to receive funding through the re-solicitation. PFY was one of only two grantees on Long Island. The grant, $193,735 per year for five years, will expand peer educator responsibilities to include presenting comprehensive sexual health education workshops to groups of teens and utilizing Internet technology for outreach and education. PFY will launch the model HIV-prevention program Mpowerment, which fosters healthy behavioral choices and peer support among young gay and bisexual men. In partnership with the Nassau County Youth Board, PFY will mobilize youth and adults in the community within the structure of a Consortium to promote supports and resources that sustain positive LGBT sexual health. The grant begins June 1, 2010.