Qualifications for Receiving Support:

· Have been denied emergency assistance by at least 2 other resources

· Must be 18+*

· Must complete an application (online or in-person)

· Must be requesting aid in the state of OH

Restrictions:

· This program is only made available once per calendar year per household once approved for any funding or services.

· This program is not designed for someone that is currently staying in a hotel, covers past due balances due or already incurred at a hotel location.

· The program is not for a general hotel stay, but for situations where a person may not be able to access emergency program funding.

The Ada Gaden Project cannot aid with the following:

· Non-emergency costs.

· Living expenses such as rent and utilities.

· Any personal debts or account balances.

Applications are reviewed by the Have a Gay Day volunteer board of directors. Decisions are typically made within 48-72 hours, varying with volunteer availability. We encourage applicants to continue to reach out to other LGBTQIA+ inclusive resources during the consideration process, as the Ada Gaden Project funding is limited to community donations. Applying is not a guarantee of service and service may be in the form of referral to another agency based on the situation.

* In the State of Ohio, kicking a child out of their home is considered abandonment. Therefore we are not able to provide emergency assistance to minors at this time. We encourage any child facing abandonment to contact an advocate.

Ada Swart Gaden, passed away on April 29, 2022. She was born in Austin, Texas on April 7, 1975. She grew up in Williamson County, Texas and attended Leander High School. Ada attended Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas where she graduated Magna com Laude with Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degree in History. Ada was a historian and a student of the human experience. She loved history, art, music, Karaoke, and dogs, especially Pugs. Ada was a very talented artist. She will always be remembered for her unique and wonderful sense of humor. 

These words alone will never fully describe how amazing Ada was and is.  She would give you everything she had and opened up her couch and home to anyone in need.  She would give you everything even if she didn’t have it to give just to see you thrive.  That being said there were times when Ada faced the world and the world wasn’t kind.  There were moments when humanity should have been slower to judge and faster to be kind.  

The Ada Gaden Project is about being slower to judge and faster to be kind.  It is also about being multi-faceted and changing and growing based on the needs of the community and as we learn we will change to fill the need.  There were moments that Ada fought to live and thrive and it is beyond fitting that Have A Gay Day as an organization she volunteered with would name this program for her.