Akron now has a resource center that’s focused on supporting the Black LGBTQ community. The Bayard Rustin LGBTQIA Resource Center offers a range of services including HIV prevention, housing referrals, mental health and substance abuse counseling and job readiness training. The staff includes three case managers and one outreach worker. The center’s administrative chief Steve Arrington says the community has needed this for a long time.
“It’s a center where they can come and be themselves. It’s a safe space, nonjudgmental. You can get education. You can get knowledge, and you can get help. That’s important for us to have a neutral place.”
Nearly 200 people have already used the center since it opened in January.
The center, operated by the Akron AIDS Collaborative. It's namesake, Bayard Rustin, was a civil rights pioneer who was gay who among his many accomplishments helped organize the March on Washington.
