One of Montreal's oldest trans organizations is running out of funding

A Quebec organization helping trans people says it is facing a funding crisis and needs to raise $100,000 in order to survive.

Action Santé Travesti(e)s et Transsexuel(le)s du Québec (ASTTeQ) — a community organization working to improve the lives of trans people in Montreal — has been around for 25 years, but one-time government funding it received five years ago is running out and the organization fears it may have to close its doors as early as April.

The organization's latest grant expired and it may not get new funding soon enough to maintain operations.

The group provides several services including legal, immigration and health support to trans people in Montreal. It serves some of the city's most vulnerable people, such as sex workers, drug users, people experiencing homelessness and those living with HIV.

When Vivian Dansby moved to Montreal from Mexico in 2007, she didn't speak French and didn't know where to find immigration lawyers or how to set up a doctor's appointment.

But she says ASTTeQ was her saving grace.

"They did help me when I needed it the most," she said.

ASTTeQ sent a French interpreter to accompany her to meet with lawyers, set up doctor appointments to access hormone replacement therapy. The organization also helped with her permanent residency application.

Beyond the language barrier, Dansby says she didn't want to go to appointments alone because she feared rejection or discrimination.

"The help ASTTeQ provides makes you feel more secure and comfortable because they know the process," she said. "They made a big difference providing that help to me and to others."

ASTTeQ has launched a fundraising campaign, with the aim of collecting $100,000, enough to cover operation costs for one year as it works to secure core funding. A group of artists, including Eve Parker Finley, Elle Barbara and Tranna Wintour, are spearheading the campaign — which includes a nude photoshoot giveaway. So far, they've collected about $20,000.

"When you're a trans person it sort of compounds to complicate every facet of your experience," said Calvin Lachance, a coordinator for ASTTeQ. "I can't emphasize how devastating it would be for people not only to lose the community that we've built and the place that they've come to know."

ASTTeQ coordinator Calvin Lachance says it would be a devastating blow to Montreal's trans community if the organization had to close its doors. (Paula Dayan-Perez/CBC)

The non-profit's operations have been subsidized by project-based grants from the government, as most similar community groups are. Lachance says the organization has been filling out applications for more funding, but worries the money won't come on time — if it does at all.

ASTTeQ operates under the umbrella of CACTUS, Montreal's largest supervised drug consumption site, but has to apply for its own operational funding.

Organizations helping LGBTQ+ people have been decrying a lack of funding for decades.

"It's been a pretty challenging and devastating situation for us, particularly being in the midst of what I believe is a truly horrifying escalation of anti-trans violence," said Lachance.

The provincial government announced it earmarked $11 million for LGBTQ+ organizations last week, but it's unclear whether ASTTeQ is eligible. CBC reached out to the minister responsible for the fight against homophobia and transphobia, Martine Biron, for more information but did not receive a response before publication.

Pascal Vaillancourt, the director general of Interligne, a support line for LGBTQ+ people, held a similar fundraising campaign earlier this year, when the organization threatened to close its overnight services due to a lack of funding. It was able to raise about $98,000 from the community.

Interligne often refers trans callers to ASTTeQ, and Vaillancourt says there's no one else to fill the gap if it shuts down.

"ASTTeQ is very much appreciated," he said. "They touch on themes that other organizations don't have expertise in.… The people they help — it's essential. They save lives."

The "golden age" of funding for LGBTQ+ organizations was the 1980s, at the height of the AIDS crisis. Since then, financial support for organizations helping queer people has dwindled, leaving the groups severely underfunded, said Vaillancourt.