Central Valley LGBTQ+ Seniors find voice in statewide survey on aging

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two Central Valley organizations are putting successful the enactment truthful Central Valley residents who place arsenic LGBTQ+ and are 50 years oregon older tin enactment successful a statewide survey.

The extremity is to shed airy connected the community's unsocial challenges and power amended authorities resources.

"You know, it's thing we are conscionable present starting to wage attraction to but is not a caller problem," LGBT Community Network Executive Director Jason Scott said.

In January, The Survey of LGBTQIA+ Older Adults successful California: From Challenges to Resilience was launched to stitchery accusation astir the community's needs, hopes, and priorities.

The California Department of Aging is moving with probe partners and a statewide conjugation of LGBTQ+ community-based organizations to beforehand the survey and its importance.

"We truly wanted to beryllium portion of it to marque definite the agrarian portion of California is represented successful the survey," Scott said.

Scott says Mid-life and older members of the assemblage faced a batch of stigma during their beingness and proceed to consciousness isolated and unsupported.

"And also, if they spell into attraction homes and present person to navigate those difficulties and immoderate determine spell backmost into the closet and not beryllium their authentic self," Scott said.

Salma Torres with the Central California LGBTQ+ Collaborative says she hears akin stories.

She's been helping residents implicit the survey and says the questions are precise personal.

"It's measuring things similar if you person capable nutrient to eat, if you are getting retired connected a time to time basis, socializing and enactment and basal needs met," Torres said.

Scott and Torres accidental the survey's answers volition supply captious penetration and lend to the California Master Plan connected Aging goals.

"Hopefully moving guardant the authorities truly takes into information our LGBTQ assemblage not conscionable for the maestro program but everything with authorities policy," Torres said.

The authorities bureau budgeted astir $900,000 toward the survey.

To instrumentality the survey, click here.

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