Trans-Fronterizxs

Trans-Fronterizxs

Trans-Fronterizxs is a peer case management program for transgender individuals in the border region; due to various factors, transgender individuals in our region tend to be isolated from their communities and forced to navigate the world alone, which can lead to lack of knowledge of local resources available. Additionally, some trans folks may not follow-up with appointments due to stigma, fear, and judgment. Ignorance is also a factor that can lead to transgender folks feeling misunderstood and forces them into having to teach service providers in order to receive appropriate care. To this end, peer case management catering to trans-individuals, such as Trans-Fronterizxs, can help improve the health outcomes and follow through by providing services in a safe space for transgender folks. Filling out applications, setting up appointments, and navigating the bureaucracy of the local healthcare and social services systems can be daunting for some trans-people (many of whom might not have legal documents that are in agreement with their identity). We assist individuals in these processes and help them navigate the system. For this reason, we believe in meeting the client where they are – whether they are in El Paso or in Juarez and no matter their current situation. We hope that through our work we can create a tomorrow that is vastly improved from the difficulties and struggles of today.

Goal:

Improve HIV-related health, wellness, and quality of life for transgender individuals living on the U.S.- Mexico Border by engaging them in the adaptation, implementation and evaluation of an evidence-based Peer-Navigator Model.

Objectives:

  • Adapt and pilot the Navigator curriculum to address the needs of Transgender individuals in the El Paso-Juarez Border Region and develop a Trans-Navigator guide.
  • Train 3 Trans-Navigators in the El Paso-Juarez Border Region to deliver wraparound care services to at least 18 clients per year.
  • Monitor and evaluate the results obtained from the wraparound care services provided to transgender individuals in El Paso and Juarez.
  • Promote healthcare access, social and legal justice, and equal opportunity in education and employment to Transgender individuals in El Paso and Juarez by offering advocacy trainings and expanding access to social support networks.

Impact:

 Our local TGNC community has received personalized case management that has helped them enjoy a better quality of life through services like, preparation of name and gender marker applications, referrals, financial assistance for hormone replacement therapy, and transportation through our partnership with Uber health. We’ve carried out this essential work; quarantine or no quarantine.We believe that words fail to capture the relief clients have felt being able to have their identity legally recognized so they can participate in society in a safer way. It opens all kinds of doors to employment and other opportunities; it’s hard to quantify the impact of living your life as a trans woman with documentation that doesn’t match your identity.
For instance, one client had lived more than 20 years openly as a trans-woman and had stopped applying to jobs because of how humiliating it feels to be called by her dead name. Trans-Fronterizxs has made an enormous difference; a client reports that, “we’ve changed her life forever.” Other clients have remarked how they were able to do things they never thought they would be able to do, such as getting on hormones and getting their name changed.