QMNTY Center in Pittsburgh quickly becomes beacon of hope and help
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — As we celebrate Pride Month and the history and progress of the LGBTQ+ community, we're highlighting a relatively new spot on the North Side that's quickly becoming a beacon of hope and help.
Step one foot inside the QMNTY Center along East Ohio Street, and it feels like home. And that's the point.
"We need a safe space for queer folks to be able to be in and feel safe," said Dena Stanley, the executive director of Trans YOUniting and the co-lead of the QMNTY Center.
The center is run by Pittsburgh-based LGBTQ+ organizations Proud Haven and Trans YOUniting. It opened in December 2022 with the goal of giving the local queer community a place where they could find everything they need, especially those who don't have stable housing or jobs. Something Stanley knows all too well.
"I've been here," Stanley said. "I've been in the struggle all my life. I've grown from it, and it made me a stronger person. So I want to be the backbone for the rest of the community because there's a lot of people out there that can't and don't have the strength like I have."
What Stanley and Proud Haven's Executive Director Lyndsey Sickler, along with other volunteers, have built is a much-needed space.
The center has a basement full of clothes, a pantry full of food and floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with toiletries. It also has a library and internet access. The center also helps people with transportation and mutual aid and offers regular programs and resources to help people succeed.
Everyone is welcome. No one is turned away, even non-queer people.
"That's what it's about. It's about breaking those barriers and changing hearts and minds by having conversations," said Stanley.
While the center is for everyone, Stanley says it's especially focused on one group in particular.
"The queer kids out there, I want them to that we love them, we see them and we support them no matter what's going on. I'm here to say your life does matter and we are here and we're going to protect you as much as possible," said Stanley.
At its core, Stanley says The QMNTY Center is about love, understanding and acceptance for everyone and from everyone.
"We are human beings just like everybody else," said Stanley.
The QMNTY Center currently helps about 50 people a week, but Stanley says it continues to grow. Everything there is free, and while they do get some funding, Stanley says community donations go a long way.
To find out more about the center or ways to donate to it, click here, here or here.
