Peninsula residents seeking LGBTQ-friendly medical services will no longer have to trek across the water to the Norfolk LGBT Life Center as the nonprofit opened a new $3.3 million location in Hampton.
A crowd of more than 100 people — comprised of LGBTQ residents, activists, and elected representatives — gathered Thursday for a ribbon-cutting celebrating the nonprofit’s expansion. Christopher Reybrouck, the center’s senior director of strategy and operations, said the new location will be a “one-stop shop” for all of the nonprofit’s patients and “meet the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals while also protecting their rights and their dignity.”
At both the Norfolk and Hampton locations, the LGBT Life Center provides HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, medication to prevent and treat HIV, medical help, counseling services, support groups, a food pantry, and housing assistance. CEO Stacie Walls said the nonprofit serves thousands of people each year.
Hours of operation for the new location are still being finalized. Staff are being phased into the new building this month and it should be fully up and running for patient visits by early October, according to spokesperson Corey Mohr.
While the opening of the Hampton Life Center is a welcome expansion, it comes as the organization is facing significant financial challenges — including recent cuts in state and federal funding that have led to some layoffs and reduction of prevention programming.
The new 10,000-square-foot building features a pharmacy and clinic, four exam rooms, a multipurpose community room, a staff lounge, a conference room, and a pantry. It will initially employ 10-12 staff members, at least five of whom are new hires. Walls said the building’s interior is soft and welcoming, while its exterior, which is adorned with rainbow colors, is meant to be “loud and proud” to promote visibility.
LGBT Life Center Board member LeeQuan “Quan” McLaurin, who described himself as a Black queer man, said when he moved to Hampton Roads, he was looking for affirming spaces and found that at the Life Center where he was welcomed with “nothing but smiling faces.” He said it’s a place where people can find community and “chosen family,” which he said is a strong mitigating factor against anxiety, depression and suicide ideation.
“This building stands for so much more,” McLaurin said, noting the disproportionately higher rates of HIV among Black men. “It stands for ensuring our further existence.”
Del. Marcia “Cia” Price, who describes herself as pansexual, shared that when she was young, violent rhetoric against LGBT people caused her to hide her sexual orientation. She said it’s important to have welcoming spaces where LGBTQ people feel safe and said the Hampton center provides that space on the Peninsula.
The Norfolk Life Center opened at the height of the AIDS epidemic in 1989 under a different name to serve women and children with HIV across Hampton Roads. In the decades since, the center’s mission has dramatically expanded to more broadly serve the LGBTQ community.
But more recent financial troubles mean the center has had to scale back some of its work. Over the last 18 months, the LGBT Life Center has lost $1.3 million in state and federal funding, according to Mohr. The organization has “shifted staff where we could,” Mohr said but some staff and programming cuts have been made. The center also faces a $1.1 million lawsuit from a former pharmacy program partner. The center’s annual budget is nearly $14 million.
“Unfortunately, the reduction in funding will force us to scale back HIV and STI outreach across Hampton Roads, and we’ll also have to reduce the number of staff focused on outreach,” Mohr said in an email.
Walls echoed Mohr’s concerns, saying that a reduction in outreach services and staff members to provide testing will ultimately harm those in the community who need those services.
Mohr said the Life Center is actively seeking new funding through grants, fundraising, and donor outreach. He said the center relies on volunteers and donations and those who want to support it can give their “time, talent, and treasure.” Another way to support the center is to fill prescriptions at it’s pharmacy, Mohr said.
“A single prescription filled through our pharmacy can generate up to $10,000 a year for the center — an easy way to support our services without changing your routine,” he said.
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com
