Bergen County opens LGBTQ+ office to enhance access to services. Here's how to reach them
Bergen County leaders announced an office dedicated to supporting local LGBTQ+ communities on Wednesday.
The county created the one-stop-shop that LGBTQ+ people can call or email to get connected to local, county and state services, both government-run and nonprofits. The office guarantees safety and confidentiality for those who reach out, said Jared Lautz, deputy chief of staff in the Bergen County Executive's office.
County leaders "thought it was important to set up this office as an entry point that would make people more comfortable,” Lautz said. “When people call they know that they’re getting somebody on the other end of the line that understands what they're going through and won’t treat them any differently.”
The LGBTQ+ service hub is housed within the Bergen County Department of Human Services. The office will be staffed by current department employees trained in treating people with compassion and cultural competency, Lautz said. The county intends to hire someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ to lead the new office.
Will streamline access to services
The office will streamline access for the public to organizations including the LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Center at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, the Bergen County Prosecutors Bias Crime Unit, the Bergen County LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, the Bergen County LGBTQ+ Alliance (BCLA), Buddies of NJ and the national nonprofit The Trevor Project, which strives to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.
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Bergen County Executive James Tedesco formed an LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee in 2015, the second of its kind in New Jersey, to ensure “the LGBTQ+ community had a voice in county government,” Lautz said. The group’s discussion led Bergen to become the second county to raise a rainbow Pride flag in June to mark Pride Month, and then create the Office of LGBTQ+ services.
The advisory committee partnered with the county library network to draw attention to LGBTQ+ books, which have been heavily scrutinized across the country. The county also hosts an annual LGBTQ+ youth summit, which started as a space where young people feel a sense of belonging, but has also turned attendees into activists and educators within the broader community.
“it's all sort of part of our county executive’s larger goal of being as inclusive as possible of various communities that make up Bergen County,” Lautz said.
The public can contact the Bergen County Office of LGBTQ+ Services by phone at 201-336-6008 or by email at lgbtqservices@co.bergen.nj.us. Staff are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Bergen County office connects LGBTQ+ people with services
