Ways TEF Can Provide Help
HRT prescription co-pays
TEF staff or volunteer will meet client at pharmacy and pay the co-pay. Or you will be given a gift card to purchase prescriptions.
Personal supplies – soap, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, etc.
Member will be provided a gift card to access these items.
Homelessness prevention “client must have income to sustain apartment”
TEF will contact the landlord for W9, payment will be sent directly to the landlord, once per year.
Rental start up “client must have income to sustain apartment”
TEF will assist with first and last, once per year. We are unable to provide a security deposit.
Utilities
TEF will assist with gas, light and oil once per year. The utility does not have to be in the members name as long as it’s the residence they reside. Maximum amount allotted is $500 per utility, per year. Income must be verified to insure stability with utilities.
Clothing for winter months
TEF will assist client with clothing from our clothing donations. Gift cards will be issued on a special circumstance basis only. (Person wears a size that must be ordered etc.)
Transportation to medical appointments
TEF staff member or volunteer will escort you to and from your medical appointment.
New/replacement state ID with gender marker change
TEF will provide client with a money order made out to RMV for the requested services.
Please Note: The Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts (TEF) is a volunteer-run 501c3 non-profit organization. We run entirely on private donations and occasional grant funding. We dispense funding as it becomes available on a case-by-case basis. We do not issue cash or send to money sharing apps.
Upon approval from TEF, all payments are disbursed within 7 business days.
Like most trans people, I do not enjoy medical environments and have experienced a lot of harm within medical institutions. Even though I am thrilled to be in process of my medical transition, I dread any and all of the appointments before and after surgeries or other treatments. In this recovery process, I have been a bit overwhelmed by my needs and have struggled to ask for help and support. Also, I do not have a car, driving is not medically allowed for me at the moment, and my follow-up appointment was not accessible via public transit. When Jane reminded me of this service TEF offers, I pushed through my issues of asking for help, and allowed her to invite me to submit a request. WOW am I thankful for her invitation because Jane drove me and provided such an amazing, grounding, and loving presence, holding my hand during my exam and checking in with me at every step. What a difference it made for me to be supported by such an incredible woman of trans experience! I felt anxious but held, scared but emboldened. This was one of the most positive experiences I have had in a medical setting to date, and Jane and TEF helped make that a reality for me.
THANK YOU, TEF, for adding support, dignity, love, and value to my life and to the life of so many other trans people.