Phoenix Pride unexpectedly closes its LGBT Center
Phoenix Pride announced Monday that it is closing its Phoenix Pride LGBT Center immediately because of a lack of funding and an inability to attract daily visitors beyond its meetings and events.
The center, in downtown Phoenix, was open more than 50 hours a week. It offered free HIV testing, a technology center, an LGBT-focused library, and fitness and educational classes, and has served as a regular meeting place for groups and events.
Many of these services will be moved online, including boards for people to post LGBT-friendly jobs and roommate requests, job fairs, health fairs and diversity and inclusion training, according to a Phoenix Pride news release.
"People are hurt, outraged; it’s completely understandable. We did not anticipate this," Phoenix Pride's executive director Justin Owen said. "It’s a heavy weight on myself that we had to make this decision, but the decision was made by our board of directors so that we could continue the much-needed funding into the community."
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2016/08/16/phoenix-pride-lgbt-center-closed-funding/88832910/