Reducing Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Transgender Women of Color

Organized through PHI’s Health Intervention Projects for Underserved Populations, the Mariposa Project worked to reduce substance use and sexual risk behaviors among transgender women of color in the San Francisco Bay Area. Peer health educators worked closely with 200+ participants, providing individual Motivational Enhancement Intervention sessions. In collaboration with a local substance abuse treatment program, the project also provided referral services to the participants who expressed a need to enroll in the recovery program. A preliminary evaluation showed a 70% reduction of substance use over the three months between the intake and exit assessments.

The Mariposa Project also facilitated transgender sensitivity trainings to 150 participants from 10 agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area that work with or might work with transgender clients in the future.