On National Coming Out Day, dozens gathered in Southeast Portland to celebrate the opening of Portland’s first center dedicated to supporting low-income and homeless LGBTQ people.
The Marie Equi Center, named for the famous doctor and women’s rights activist, will officially open to the public Tuesday on Southeast 25th Avenue, offering wound care, connection to health services and eventually showers.
The outside of the Marie Equi Center in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 11, 2024.
Joni Land / OPB
The center’s executive director, Katie Cox, said they’re looking to fill a gap in Portland’s homeless services, since many LGBTQ people have difficulties navigating and accessing services.
Cox said many services are only geared towards people diagnosed with HIV or that are ages 24 or younger — but the need is far wider than those specific groups.
“(Some services are) certainly not designed to meet LGBTQ identities oftentimes, and so we help advocate for folks and get them connected to resources,” they said.
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Cox originally co-founded the organization, formerly known as the Equi Institute, to improve access to health care resources for the region’s queer residents. Now, it finally has its own building to provide these services.
They said the need for an LGBTQ-focused center is greater than ever, as many trans and queer people arrive in Oregon from other states.
“We were seeing a lot of folks that were moving here from red states, fleeing anti-trans legislation,” Cox said. “We wanted to create a space that centralized as many supportive services as possible that was tailored to trans and queer identities.”
A crowd gathers to witness the ribbon cutting at the Marie Equi Center in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 11, 2024.
Joni Land / OPB
Metro — a regional government encompassing Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties — provided much of the funding for the center from its Supportive Housing Services tax measure, including more than $850,000 for ongoing operations this fiscal year. Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services allocated the funds.
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Once the Marie Equi Center officially opens this week, it will be open to the public Mondays to Thursdays, 1-5 p.m.