All Children - All Families

Inclusion and Equity at CHNK

CHNK proudly provides services, employment, and volunteer opportunities regardless of an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or other non-merit factor.

At CHNK, though, it’s about so much more than having a discrimination policy in place. We live and breathe inclusion and equity, because we believe all children and all families deserve hope and opportunity.

In 2016, CHNK earned the HRC Foundation’s All Children—All Families (ACAF) seal of recognition. This recognition identifies our commitment to supporting and serving all youth, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). We are the first and only child welfare organization in Kentucky to achieve this recognition, and we do not take that distinction lightly.

Why This Matters

Many of the youth we serve are in foster care due to homelessness or being removed from their homes as the result of substantiated cases of abuse or neglect. Both in Kentucky and nationally, LGBTQ youth are over-represented in this regard. Among homeless youth in America, 40% identify as LGBTQ, and of these youth, 43% were forced out of their home by family.

Not only have these youth quite literally been abandoned by their families due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, they often continue to struggle as they enter the child welfare system. They frequently find themselves subjected to further bias and discrimination in group homes or shelters. CHNK began pursuing its designation as a nationally recognized leader in supporting and serving LGBTQ youth and families in order to lead the charge in Kentucky with changing these statistics. At CHNK, we love equally.

For more information about the All Children – All Families (ACAF) initiative, visit HRC’s site or check out a digital version of our ACAF brochure about the initiative here at CHNK.