Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI)

The Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI) helps transgender individuals in the San Francisco bay area achieve financial self-sufficiency through stable employment in jobs that are safe and provide a living wage and benefits. The transgender community has historically faced hardships securing stable employment and economic instability among this population is a risk factor for homelessness, poor health and risky behavior.

TEEI participants have access to one-on-one job counseling with a vocational specialist, mentorship from a successful peer professional who can offer both personal support and career networking opportunities and network of local trans-friendly employers looking to hire from the community. Moreover, participants can get free legal advice that focuses on rights in the work place. There are a variety of locations in the bay area where TEEI participants can access these services. Specific activities are scheduled throughout the month: every first Monday there is a Trans-Spirituality workshop which promotes empowerment among the transgender community; every third and fourth Wednesday TEEI holds a transgender law center workshop with varying topics (e.g., How to Change Your Identification Documents, Employment Law 101, Trans Health Law); every third Thursday TEEI holds a job search skills workshop (resumes, cover letters, networking skills, computer training, and interviewing skills). Drop-in hours are held at the TEEI locations once a week where program participants can receive peer-based mentoring and plan their job searches.

To help members of the San Francisco bay area transgender community to secure stable employment in safe environments.

TEEI has helped have helped transgender community members find jobs in safe and exciting workplaces such as Macy's, Bloomingdales, UCSF, Bank of America, Good Vibrations, Frameline, and Trader Joe's. In 2010, TEEI became a UCSF community partner and the grant from the partnership funded the training program, "TEEI Healthcare Career Forum: Training Opportunities and Careers in the Healthcare Industry," where participants were be exposed to a variety of training programs focusing on nursing, medical assisting, environmental services, and administrative positions in the healthcare field.