A housing nonprofit has been named “Agency of the Year” by the Arkansas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
Sadie Ragan is the founder of Cocoon Collective, a wrap-around services organization providing housing and social resources for trans and queer youth who have been rejected by their families. Ragan said they primarily serve people in the range of 18-24 years old.
“To be recognized by a national organization that sets the standards for how social work is done, to have them recognize an agency that is primarily working with trans and genderqueer adolescents is really significant. I think that is showing–hopefully–where we’re headed.”
Ragan started the Cocoon Collective in 2021 after Arkansas lawmakers passed Act 626–a bill which made the state the first in the nation to ban gender-affirming care for minors. A judge struck the law down before it could take effect.
Ragan says there’s a high need for queer-friendly centers in Arkansas. They say in addition to anti-trans legislation making people feel unsafe, it’s also common for the rental process to discriminate against people whose gender identity doesn’t match their documents. She says this makes it difficult for trans and gender non-conforming renters to find stable housing, especially if they are currently unhoused.
“Housing is important and we consider ourselves a housing-first agency, meaning that they don’t have to do anything before we are able to house them. A lot of times that refers to substance abuse disorders and alcoholism.” Ragan said. “We don’t ask that they are sober first and then they earn a home, we believe that housing comes first and once they become safe and stable, then we can start work on all the other things.”
Ragan said the next step is to create a model that can be replicated by other nonprofits.
“I’m always thinking about what’s next–you know, bigger and better. What I’m noticing is that there are several really great nonprofits in the NWA area that help serve the queer community but we’re a little bit siloed. So my dream would be that we come together and we create one true LGBT center for Northwest Arkansas”
In addition to a queer resource center in Northwest Arkansas, Ragan hopes to expand programs across the state.
“We hope to design programming that we can then take to other cities and other states and then teach them how to do it. So the next step would be somewhere else within the state.”
More information about the Cocoon Collective and ongoing projects can be found online at cocooncollective.org
