BY BTL STAFF
The Hope & Grace Fund, a philanthropic vehicle of well-being beauty brand Philosophy USA, has awarded the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park with a $100,000 grant to hire a mental health professional who will provide counseling services for trans women and girls of color.
REC provides short and long-term residential safe space and support services for runaway, homeless, and at-risk LGBTQ youth in metro Detroit. The organization will use the grant to support its "Trans Peace: Integrated Behavioral and Primary Health Services" program, which will assist approximately 75-100 trans girls and women of color ages 12-30 who face a number of mental health challenges, including disproportionately high rates of discrimination, suicidal ideation, depression, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorder.
Through this therapeutic program, clinicians, case managers, and physicians will provide individual counseling and support groups focused on reducing mental health stigma, mental health issues, and other trauma symptoms; and promoting self-esteem and empowerment. The REC anticipates that at least 95 percent of clients will report improvement in mental health and sense of safety and well-being.
Founded in 1996, Philosophy USA sells skin care and makeup products and donates one percent of its net sales in the U.S. to the Hope & Grace Fund. Using those profits, The Hope & Grace Fund supports community-based programs aimed at improving the mental health and well-being of women. Ten organizations in all were awarded grants for the Spring 2017 period, but REC's grant is the first specifically designated for the treatment of trans girls and women; Hope & Grace Fund has previously only awarded funding for resources for cisgender women.
The announcement made earlier this month coincided with the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month, which is observed in May, and the launch of The Hope & Grace Initiative's "How Are You, Really?" campaign to create real conversations about mental health issues.
"This campaign defines the Hope & Grace Initiative's mental health-related purpose," said Marie-Pierre Stark-Flora, Global SVP of Philosophy and Hope & Grace Fund Advisory Board Member. "We all have mental health … so asking 'how are you, really?' creates a platform to open up about how we're really doing – what we're really feeling. Speaking freely is ultimately the first step in healing. The Hope & Grace Initiative is just helping facilitate the conversation to get there."
