SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A new nonprofit organization in Suffolk is working to bring services like counseling and free HIV testing closer to home.
The Suffolk LGBT Center of Hampton Roads has started a fundraising campaign to create a new physical location in the Western Tidewater region.
It’s something LGBT Center of Hampton Roads Executive Director Tray Burch says was clearly needed after the results of a community assessment.
“The responses we were getting back, we were seeing things like even middle and high school students saying things like they’ve been bullied, and they don’t feel like they have a safe space. Things of that nature so a center like this could be very resourceful for them,” explained Burch.
Burch says they hope to bring free services like HIV and STD testing, social groups, and more to Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of Wight County and Southampton County.
He says the LGBT Life Center in Norfolk does phenomenal work and is making a big impact in Hampton Roads, but in Suffolk and places to the west of those that want to use those services may have to travel over an hour to reach the Norfolk location.
Officials with the LGBT Life Center in Norfolk say they are not affiliated with the Suffolk LGBT Center of Hampton Roads and while their services extend to Suffolk, they do not have a physical location there.
Burch hopes the new Suffolk LGBT Center will help fill that void.
“It’s not just our LGBT youth it’s adults as well. In our assessments, we were reading things about how even adults feel harassed in the workplace, things of that nature. So, having a center like this is a really great tool for the community,” said Burch.
Burch says they’re now pushing ahead full steam to get the funds needed to open the physical location. He says the goal is to raise $100,000. If you’re interested in donating, click here.
However, in the meantime, they’ve partnered with Pourfavor Coffee Shop in Downtown Suffolk to offer free HIV and STD testing the first Saturday of each month, starting, this weekend from noon to 4 p.m.
