Program Establishes a New Commitment to the LGBTQ+ Community Statewide to Increase Access to Gender-Based Violence Services and Supports 

The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) today announced 5 pilot programs have been endorsed by OPDV as LGBTQ+ Inclusive. As the next step in ensuring all LGBTQ+ survivors have access to affirming services throughout the state, OPDV and the New York State Office for Children and Family Services (OCFS) have also announced they are opening the application process to all licensed residential domestic violence service providers and OCFS-recognized non-residential domestic violence service providers. 

Governor Hochul introduced the LGBTQ+ Endorsement Program in June of 2022, instructing OPDV to develop standards and guidelines, with the goal of reducing barriers LGBTQ+ survivors of gender-based violence face when seeking safety. OPDV partnered with the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) to convene an inter-disciplinary working group of experts to develop endorsement standards.  

Participation in the program is voluntary. Over the last year, OPDV and AVP worked with 5 domestic violence programs approved by OCFS?to help them meet the new LGBTQ+ Inclusive standards, and programs provided feedback on the standards and practices.  

The newly endorsed programs include: 

Barrier Free Living 

Behavioral Health Services North STOP Domestic Violence 

Family Counseling Services of the Finger Lakes 

The Safe Center Long Island 

YWCA Northeast New York 

OPDV Executive Director Kelli Owens said, “When the system that serves those impacted by gender-based violence was built, it did not contemplate the needs of those in the LGBTQ+ community. New York is taking very visible and affirming steps to ensure all people, no matter how they identify, know they can find safety and support. This new endorsement program affirms that people are seen and heard. It truly operationalizes New York's values of assuring we have a system that is survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive to those impacted by domestic violence in the LGBTQ+ community.” 

OCFS Commissioner Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden said, “We are proud to have a Governor who insists on the delivery of well-supported and culturally competent supports for LGBTQ+ Domestic violence survivors. The LGBTQ+ community is far from monolithic, and we must tailor our resources to truly support their needs. The work of our interdisciplinary team and the five piloted organizations that have created standards for the LGBTQ+ Endorsement Program underscores New York State’s commitment to the provision of LGBTQ+ affirming services and opportunities to domestic violence survivors.”  

For more information about the LGBTQI+ Endorsement Program standards and for application information, please visit LGBTQI+ Endorsement Program | Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (ny.gov). 

About the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence 

The New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence is the country's only cabinet level state agency dedicated to the issue of gender-based violence. The state's Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline is available 24/7: 800-942-6906 (call), 844-997-2121 (text) or @opdv.ny.gov (chat). 

If you are a victim of domestic violence seeking assistance, please visit opdv.ny.gov to find a list of providers in your area. 

For further inquiries, please contact press@opdv.ny.gov