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About Us Mission History Future
AssistHers is a volunteer organization formed in 1996 to provide non-medical in-home support and care to lesbians with illnesses such as cancer, fibromyalgia, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis. Volunteers work together to provide transportation and care to help clients remain in their own homes.
Half of our clients live alone. The other half has friends or partners who are struggling as the caregiver and sole provider. Naturally, support and friendship is extended to our clients' partners, caregivers, children and other family members.
AssistHers is a lesbian-based organization which uses the Care Team model, provides ongoing health-related education to its volunteers and is willing to take clients affected by illnesses.
Good health is a blessing which affects our relationships, financial stability and every day quality of life. AssistHers is committed to promoting good health.
Mission
AssistHers is dedicated to creating a community of caregivers who:
- Educate themselves about important health issues with particular emphasis on lesbian-related health issues.
- Eradicate discrimination and break down barriers which lesbians face when using health and social service systems.
- Provide a network of support to lesbians struggling with chronic or disabling illness.
AssistHers, now celebrating ten years of service, is achieving its goal to create a more positive, organized response to lesbian health needs in the Greater Houston Area. The mission is accomplished through the work of volunteer care teams and committees. We have no paid staff members.
Since the inception of the program, over 400 women and men have been involved as volunteers enabling the organization to serve over 60 clients over time. AssistHers is currently providing direct care to 28 women through the volunteer work of 24 care teams. There are currently 89 active volunteers who give a minimum of six hours a month as a member of a Care Team or committee.
Each team is made up of four to eight members who give emotional support, meal delivery, pet care, errand running, transportation for medical and social service appointments. Volunteers are trained and supervised on a monthly basis by volunteer credentialed health workers. In this way, AssistHers ensures success for both the client and the volunteer.
Also, AssistHers has recognized additional client needs and has developed programs for those needs (example: taxi vouchers for medical appointments).
Clients suffer from a wide range of autoimmune diseases, brain and spinal cord injury, fibromyalgia, cancer, hepatitis, stroke, and other debilitating illnesses.
"And the Community is very privileged to have you all around. One day somebody asked me why I did not plan on moving out of Houston as I got older. I said, "Because AssistHers is around, I expect they will continue for the next 10 years as I get older, and I feel safe knowing that." That also says a lot about how I value AssistHers."