New Ground: Community Integration for Undocumented LGBTQ+ Youth

Immigrant and refugee support

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Applying a proven solution to a new issue or sector (using an existing model, tool, resource, strategy, etc. for a new purpose)

Undocumented LGBTQ+ youth in Los Angeles face intersecting barriers that jeopardize their safety, mental health, and long-term stability. Many arrive fleeing political violence or anti-LGBTQ+ persecution, only to encounter new threats: xenophobia, transphobia, and hostile immigration policies that deepen fear and uncertainty. In today’s volatile political climate, youth are increasingly afraid to access services or assert their rights. Without verifiable income or legal status, they face unsafe housing and exploitative work. Culturally attuned mental health care is limited, and stigma and institutional distrust prevent help-seeking. These youth often navigate trauma, isolation, and unfamiliar systems alone. Without urgent intervention, the risks of homelessness, exploitation, and suicide remain dangerously high. This crisis demands affirming, culturally grounded care that restores stability and belonging.

This project provides wraparound support for undocumented LGBTQ+ youth in Los Angeles, who face compounded trauma, social isolation, and systemic exclusion. Amid an increasingly hostile political climate—marked by anti-immigrant rhetoric and rollbacks on LGBTQ+ rights—these youth are at heightened risk of homelessness, exploitation, and mental health crises.
Adapted from the proven Connect LA model, which helps unhoused youth build lasting relationships and reduce housing instability, this initiative centers community integration and chosen family as protective factors. It supports youth in forming meaningful connections within and beyond their cultural and queer communities—through peer bonding, mentorship, and culturally grounded events that foster belonging.
Participants will receive trauma-informed case management and embedded mental health support, focused on navigating the legal, medical, housing, and educational systems in a new country. For those seeking asylum, the program offers documentation support and referrals to affirming legal services.
This model reimagines care not just as service delivery, but as relationship-building rooted in dignity, safety, and identity. By strengthening the social fabric around undocumented LGBTQ+ youth, we reduce isolation, promote healing, and lay the groundwork for long-term stability and self-determination.

If successful, this initiative will make Los Angeles a safer, more inclusive place for undocumented LGBTQ+ youth—many of whom arrive here without family, resources, or a clear path to stability. By building a framework of chosen family, cultural connection, and trauma-informed care, we will reduce isolation, homelessness, and mental health crises among one of the region’s most vulnerable populations. Youth will gain the tools and support needed to navigate healthcare, housing, education, and legal systems—transforming survival into stability. As trust builds, so will broader community engagement and long-term belonging. Over time, this approach can be scaled across youth-serving organizations to strengthen how Los Angeles welcomes and integrates undocumented LGBTQ+ residents, setting a precedent for equity, resilience, and care throughout the County.