Safe to Become

The Trevor Project: Crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth throughout the US, 24 hours a day. Call 866-488-7386 or text START to 678678. Trained counselors offer confidential support, with limits such as an imminent safety emergency or reporting obligations.

988: Call or text 988 for emotional or mental-health crises. If someone is in immediate physical danger, call 911.

Before opening an external link on a shared device, consider whether its website name might be noticed.

SMYRC, New Avenues for Youth: A Portland-area resource center for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13–24, offering groups, community activities, basic supplies and support referrals.

1. Call 503-872-9664 to ask about current hours, age requirements, virtual options and transportation accessibility.
2. If you feel comfortable, ask about peer groups, counseling referrals or gender-affirming clothing.
3. Official program site: SMYRC information (opens an external site).

New Avenues for Youth: Provides youth housing and shelter-related programs in the Portland region, including an LGBTQ+ young-adult housing program. Not every program serves every age, and vacancies are not guaranteed.

Outside In: Has a young-adult day program with meals, showers and housing-navigation support for eligible youth ages 16–24. Call 503-432-3986 for current access instructions.

Ask a provider about eligibility, age restrictions, immediate shelter options and confidentiality before sharing personal details.

Program information: New Avenues housing (external) and Outside In (external).

You can help by listening without judgment, respecting privacy, asking what support is wanted, and connecting the young person with age-appropriate local services. If there is an immediate safety concern, seek prompt help from qualified professionals.

The Oregon Health Authority's youth and family resource overview (external) offers additional statewide starting points.

1. Review Oregon's Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) starting page.
2. Use the state's local referral-contact information to find the program serving your county, and ask how to request an evaluation.
3. Ask what happens next, whether services are offered in a language or format your family needs, and how long an appointment may take.

Oregon EI/ECSE starting point (external). You do not need to guess a child's diagnosis before asking about a developmental concern.

1. Contact your child's school or district and ask about requesting a special education evaluation, including how to put your request in writing.
2. If there is an existing Individualized Education Program (IEP), ask for a meeting and copies of the current plan and evaluation records.
3. If you need help understanding decisions or resolving a disagreement, contact the Oregon Department of Education special education support office at 503-947-5600.

Oregon special education questions and dispute support (external). School support is based on educational eligibility and individual needs, not simply a medical label.

1. Review Oregon's Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) service eligibility page.
2. Contact your county Community Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP) to ask how to apply and what records are needed.
3. If found eligible, ask a service coordinator about a support plan, in-home help, choices of providers and transition planning.

Oregon I/DD eligibility and application (external) · In-home supports (external). Eligibility and available services are determined by the responsible program.

The Autism Society of Oregon lists statewide and regional support groups for autistic people and families, as well as educational resources and a provider directory. Many listed groups do not require a formal diagnosis.

1. Choose a regional or virtual support group that fits your needs.
2. Ask about accessibility, age ranges, cost, registration and whether autistic people themselves help shape the group.
3. Explore its resource directory for services relevant to your county.

Regional and virtual groups (external) · Resources for children (external) · Resources for adults (external).

1. Open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, and choose Delete browsing data.
2. Choose a time range. Check what will be deleted before continuing; the default may only cover recent activity.
3. Use More options to review History, Cookies and site data, and Cached images and files. Select only what you intend to clear, then confirm.

Browser history is not the same as Google account search activity. If signed in and syncing, changes may affect other devices.

1. Open Settings → Apps → Safari.
2. Choose Clear History and Website Data.
3. Review the timeframe and confirm only if that is appropriate for your situation.

Clearing Safari does not erase records kept by websites, other apps, or someone monitoring the device.

1. Open Firefox and tap the three-dot menu.
2. Choose Settings → Delete browsing data.
3. Review the categories you want removed, then choose Delete browsing data.

Firefox also lets you remove individual visited pages from its History list. Be aware that changes to history can be noticed.

It cannot reliably remove network logs, monitoring software, shared-account activity, downloaded files, screenshots, notification previews, call or text records, or another person's own records. Private browsing also does not make a monitored device safe.

If a device or account may be monitored, a specialist advocate can help you consider a safer way to access support. Avoid making sudden settings changes if they could put you at greater risk.