Name/Nickname: Carolyn Lopez Rivera/ Cari Pronouns: She/Her Job Title at LGBT Life Center: Housing Case Manager Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? Before I moved to Virginia, I completed my Social Work internship at an Elementary School in Puerto Rico. I conducted interviews with clients and provided case management services, counseling, education, and life-skills…
Center News
New Housing Case Manager Connects Our Community
Name/Nickname: No nickname, Just Rosa! Pronouns: She/Her Job Title at LGBT Life Center: Housing Case Manager Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? I was a housing case manager/housing specialist for a nonprofit in Portsmouth (PARC, inc.). I’m here to help you with: Rapid Rehousing Program, CHERP Program. How did you become interested in this…
1/3 of People Experience Partner Violence
In honor of Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month, we sat down with our crisis counselor Rebecca Rose for a conversation about how she got into the field and what victims can do to identify IPV, make a plan, and be as safe as possible.
Understanding Discrimination Drives Our New Housing Case Manager
Chelsea Drummond-Winger Name: Chelsea Drummond-Winger; Chelsea or Chels works! Pronouns: She/Her Job Title at LGBT Life Center: Housing Case Manager Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? I completed my final field placement for my MSW at Samaritan House in adult case management for the Anti-Human Trafficking Department. I’m here to help you with: Rapid…
New Accounting Supervisor Loves Numbers and People
Karen Grover Name: Karen (but I’m not “a Karen” so I’m trying to decide if I need a nick-name, this late in life) Pronouns: she/her Job Title at LGBT Life Center: Accounting Supervisor Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? Norfolk Collegiate School, where I was the Director of Finance and Operations I’m here to…
New Director of Housing Knows It’s a Right, Not Privilege
Iva Goldsmith Name: My name is Iva Goldsmith and my nickname is Iva B. Pronouns: she/her Job Title at LGBT Life Center: Director of Housing Services Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? My most recent position was with Home Again in Richmond where my title was Director of Programs and Operations. I oversaw rapid…
New Engagement Coordinator Knows the Power of Community
Casey Butler Name: My given name is “Casey”. As a non-binary person, I love that it isn’t typically associated with one gender. My parents must have had a sixth sense about me. A lot of my friends and family call me “Case”. I also respond to “love,” “darlin,” “hon,” and “friend.” Pronouns: he/she/they Job Title at…
New Housing Specialist Opens Up Housing Opportunities
Nina Borgeson Name: Nina Borgeson Pronouns: She/her Job Title at LGBT Life Center: Housing Specialist Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? I am a recent graduate of Christopher Newport University! I graduated with a BA in English Composition and took part in a couple of student organizations. I was the Senior Editor at our…
LGBTQ Organizations Unite to Combat Racial Violence
LGBT Life Center has joined dozens of other organizations to issue the following statement: LGBTQ Organizations Unite to Combat Racial Violence “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Those words, written over 30 years ago by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, remind us that indifference can never bridge…
Our New Housing Specialist Has Made a Career Out of Helping
Erica Dunigan Name & Nickname: Erica, “Red” Pronouns: She/her Job Title at LGBT Life Center: Housing Specialist Where’d you come from and what’d you do there? I was a Petty Officer Second Class in the Navy stationed at Naval Station Norfolk for 8 years. During my time, I completed one deployment and participated in several community events….