ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A local healthcare provider hosts a welcome center for LGBTQ community that holds a variety of events and services.
“The LGBTQ welcome center […] opened in 2014. It was the third LGBT welcome center in the nation. It operated as a safe-drop in space, social programming, and retail coffeehouse,” Jim Nixon said while explaining the history behind the center.
Metro wellness, a primary healthcare provider who began its life managing HIV patients, revived its LGBTQ welcome center last October. The center had been operating since 2014, and after nine months of renovations, in 2018 the center has been given new life with a paint job. The re-opening even brought a surprise new treat when they began serving ice cream. A boutique was also opened within the center, another addition that aims to help raise funds to keep the center open as well as promote local businesses.
Nixon describes the purpose of these in-house businesses, “These are local artists provide their merchandise to us to sell on consignment. 40 percent of everything we sell in the boutique actually stays with the center. We also added coffee and working cow ice cream all staying within that local model – local ice cream, local coffee, and local artists.”
The new welcome center has a more balanced focus between business and the social programs they provided before. They understand that financially supporting local and LGBTQ artists and businesses can be just as helpful as social support.
Photo courtesy of Nova Charles
Nixon described the dual business and social approach: “It provides that hub of business from consumer to business but also social programming that is needed in many marginalized communities within the large community of LGBT such as youth and seniors.”
Nixon is the welcome center’s tourism marketing manager, and he explained that despite all the other changes, the social programming is the same because it was already enjoyed by the community. Their events that cater to different groups such as at-risk youth and community elders. These programs are designed to not only provide entertainment, but also meet their needs and address the problems they face as members of the LGBTQ community.
Photo courtesy of Nova Charles
Nixon explains the reasons the center started a youth safe space: “On the spectrum of LGBT youth we know that they are most at risk on given times throughout the week being on the street or being away from their family and typically Friday and Saturday nights are those nights. And so we provide that safe space, but with curated programming that helps facilitate their acceptance of who their authentic selves are.”
Photo courtesy of Nova Charles
If you want to watch the video I produced for this article you can check it out here.