Finding resources is HARD! Especially when you don’t know what you are looking for, where to start, or who to ask. Finding resources relating to gender transitioning is no exception. Whether you are new to the 7 cities or were born and raised here, connecting with different organizations for transgender health services is challenging.
Are you a person of trans* experience currently looking for help finding an endocrinologist for gender affirming hormone therapy? Are you in need of a gender affirmation letter for gender confirmation surgery? Are you having trouble finding a surgeon that accepts your insurance?
Is your loved one undergoing gender transition and you aren’t sure how to show support? Are you supporting your child through their own process of gender discovery and have questions? Would you like to meet other family, friends, allies going through similar things like you?
In this post, check out our top 5 agencies dedicated to serving the transgender community and a brief overview of some of the services offered.
This list is in NO PARTICULAR order.
Operating since October 2015, the Transgender Assistance Program of VA (TAP VA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to combatting transgender adult homelessness in Virginia by offering emergency housing and resource referral. If you or a transgender loved one is imminently homeless, TAP VA offers emergency housing options such as 2-3 nights in a hotel or potentially temporary host home sponsorship. Complete their online application for assistance. Need FREE gender affirming clothing? Check out TAP’s Trans Clothing Closet!
Emergency housing
Temporary Host Homes
Housing education
Transportation to temporary housing/appointments/work
Trans Clothing Closet
Providing gender inclusive spaces since 2017, the Southeastern Transgender Resource Center serves as Norfolk’s first Black trans-led non-profit dediated to empowering trans folx, providing emergency shelter, and creating safe spaces for personal development. Wanting to provide safe, affirming emergency shelter space to transgender folx specifically, STRC opened Hampton Road’s first transgender shelter, the “Lamia House” on January 9th, 2022. Some services offered by STRC include:
Monday Night Support Group,
Tuesday Night Paint Night,
Free clothing and shoes,
Food assistance,
Emergency housing,
Legal resource referral
Hampton Roads’ newest transgender resource, Empowering Transgender Services Health Clinic, officially opened it’s first building in Hampton, VA in August 2021. ETSI Health Clinic serves at the first transgender resource for the Hampton Roads Peninsula. Readily serving Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Yorktown, and surrounding areas, ETSI is dedicated to assisting transgender folx with services such as:
Legal (name/gender change) assistance,
Gender affirming hormone therapy (HRT) referrals,
Support groups,
HIV/STI testing,
Housing referrals,
Community engagements,
Transportation to/from medical appointments.
#4 LGBT Life Center (LGBTC)
A staple in the community for over 20 years, the LGBT Life Center is a one stop shop resource center in Hampton Roads. The LGBT Life Center provides general services such as HIV/STI screening, housing assistance applications, health insurance enrollment, food pantry, and Ryan White case management. Transgender specific resources include:
Multiple transgender support groups,
Referrals for legal assistance,
Mental health services,
Gender affirming letters,
Referrals for gender affirming hormone therapy
Teaching Transfolx to Thrive, an agency initiative dedicated to promoting education through communication conversation.
#5 Minority AIDS Support Services (MASS)
Not all resources are exclusively trans! Minority AIDS Support Services (MASS), is a minority-led non-profit driven to providing health care access and HIV/STI testing services to Black and Brown communities. If you or a loved one is an inmate who is/being released, MASS’s Transitional Housing Program is designed to help provide support and reintegration into society. MASS is accessible; they have offices in Newport News and Norfolk and online booking for HIV/STIs screenings. This is a great resource for black and brown trans folx living with HIV. Some resources available are:
Transitional Housing Program - Must be on PrEP or HIV+ to qualify
Ryan White case management,
Support groups,
Job skill building
PCA Certification Classes
Hampton Roads has many transgender resources available. Go ahead and reach out and see what each organization has to offer you. It is OKAY to use multiple resources, no one organization has it all. You don’t have to do this process alone.