Family Service Agency, a nonprofit group in San Mateo County, recently received a $400,000 contract from the county to administer volunteer peer counseling to seniors. The program will include an LGBT component, officials said.

"In San Mateo County, especially for the LGBT population, there aren't very many services," said Susan Houston, director of senior services at Family Service. "We're really excited we'll be able to provide services to this group."

The counseling, which will be free, will be offered to any county resident 55 years or older. Howard Lader, manager of senior peer counseling at Family Service and a licensed clinical social worker, said LGBT people may have special needs that will be served by the counseling.

Lader, 72, said the agency will deal primarily with "issues related to isolation, related to health, related to loss. I think gay men and women age just like everyone else." However, he said he's seen firsthand that LGBT seniors sometimes experience a greater sense of isolation than their heterosexual counterparts.

"I was thinking of a couple of [gay] friends that I have," said Lader. "They've been together over 60 years now. They're living in an assisted living facility, and I think they may be the only two gay individuals in that facility. They're really quite isolated."

The program will also focus on other groups that may be marginalized as they age. For example, "We are serving the Hispanic community, the Spanish-speaking community, the Cantonese-speaking community," said Houston, 52.

The program will operate using volunteer counselors who will undergo lengthy training before beginning their counseling work. The training will focus on subjects like basic counseling skills, substance abuse, understanding depression, building effective communication, sexuality, family systems, and county resources.

"It would be helpful if the volunteers were 50 and older to work with our groups," Houston said. "They don't need to have past experience. They should be willing to take the training course and to work with at least one person on a weekly basis for a year after they complete the training."

The $400,000 award, from the county's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services division, will be used to fund the program for a 17-month period. It will cover costs such as paid volunteer coordinators, training expenses, and events for the volunteers. A nine-week, 54-hour training session begins April 21 for English-speaking peer counselors.

Initially, Lader said, Family Service hopes to serve 20 or 30 LGBT seniors, with the possibility of serving more as the program grows.

In addition to serving as counselors, Lader said that the volunteers will be able to connect seniors to services.

"San Mateo County has very rich resources for older adults, and there are many older adults who really don't know about the resources," he said. "One thing the peer counselors do is to help older adults access resources within the county, and hopefully that's one way of helping to lessen their isolation."

Family Service has been working with children, families, and seniors for 57 years. Among other things, it runs childcare and child development programs, provides family counseling, and runs a senior employment center.

The agency is currently accepting volunteers for the training, and referrals for seniors who would benefit from the counseling. To learn more, visit the Web site at www.familyserviceagency.org, or call Howard Lader at (650) 573-2716.