First Licensed LGBTI Online Chat Now Operational

We are proud to announce that on October 23, 2017, Single Step launched the very first national, licensed, professionally-staffed online chat for LGBTI (“Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex”) youth, their parents, friends and allies. This is the culmination of many months of acquiring know-how from leading international LGBTI organizations, securing sustainable long-term funding, establishing the right partnerships and training a team of professionals in order to provide a vital resource to our community.

Single Step is the only LGBTI organization in Bulgaria licensed to provide services to youth and young adults by the State Agency for Child Protection and by the Agency for Social Assistance. Our team of trained professionals is led by Anna Joukivskaia, a Western-educated psychologist with significant practical experience working with young adults and their families. We would like to thank the T.I.A. group (Transgender & Intersex & Allies) for their help during our volunteers' training as well as for their invaluable direction.

The online chat operates daily from 8pm to 11pm, and provides free, confidential support and relevant resources to LGBTI youth, their families, friends and allies.

We are keeping our commitment to provide a comprehensive set of resources to assist an “invisible” community in Bulgaria. The Single Step Community Center will be operational within a few months. It will provide vital psychological, legal and medical assistance, peer networking and support, and a "safe space" for youth at risk, in addition to a venue for community events, meetings, etc. and will welcome all LGBTI organizations and members of the community and our allies.

We would like to thank sincerely all of our Bulgarian and international partners and allies, who have been working relentlessly from the very beginning in order to help us execute our initiatives.