Social Work with People Practicing Same-Sex ... - ILGA Europe

� Counselling on HIV and STI.
� Referral to diagnostic and treatment of HIV, STI and tuberculosis.
� Rapid testing for HIV and STI (in case of working with female IDUs and FSW —
pregnancy tests).
� Pre-testing counselling (before testing for HIV).
� Group meetings with physicians.
� Counselling by medical specialists.
3. Legal services:
� Explanation of the legal documents.
� Legal support provision (e.g., to register or restore documents, to receive benefits
and subsidies, etc.).
� Legal support in case of detention of the clients by the police, or if they are called
to disciplinary or material account.
� Representation of the client's interests in the court (if needed).
4. Household services:
� Provision of night's lodging for homeless clients (temporary care centre).
� Provision of warm lunches to low income clients.
� Organization of work with the clients' children (day care centre).
� Provision for elementary hygienic needs (shower, washing, ironing and repair of
clothes, etc.) for homeless (drug addicted) clients.
� Provision of material support to low income clients (clothes, food rations, etc.).
The community centre employees should be recruited depending on the objectives and
services provided by the centre. The centre should have administrative staff, manager
and accountant, as well as the programme employees: an office manager, a nurse, a
physician (gynaecologist, STI doctor), a psychologist, a lawyer, social workers and
outreach workers.
Each centre should have its own form of organization, but it needs to have a functional
structure and clearly defined objectives and services.
Community Centres in Ukraine and Challenges to the Organization
of Work
The first community centre for MSM in Ukraine was established in 2004 within a project
of a civil society organization “Nikolayev Association of Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals
LiGA” with the support from the Tides Foundation (USA). Since 2005 this centre has
opened its doors not only to MSM, but also to LGBT.
The key goal of the creation of harm reduction centres for MSM is to advocate the
interests and protect human rights of the target group, including the right to safety,
protection from stigma and discrimination based on their sexual orientation and HIV
status, as well as to increase the activism of MSM themselves through their involvement
in the education, training and prevention programmes. A serious attention is paid to
the mobilization of LGBT community.
Currently there are two community centres for LGBT operating in Ukraine (LiGA in
Nikolayev and “For Equal Rights” in Kharkov), and two centres for MSM (Gay Alliance in
Kiev and Partner in Odessa). The challenges to the organization of community centres
for this target group are still to be addressed and are in need of methodological support Community centre, Odessa
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