New Haven Pride Center Rising

The New Haven Pride Center will reopen thanks to a rapid and coordinated community fundraising effort led by local donors and supporters. “We were able to pull off a seemingly impossible thing that — I want to be clear — stemmed from the community, and was met by the community,” says Hope Chávez, Pride Center board co-chair.

Shortly after the center closed in February, it launched a fundraising campaign, “Project Phoenix.” Within 30 days of a kickoff meeting hosted by The Community Foundation, 43 community members contributed $500,000, enough for the Center to reopen and reimagine its future. The re-opened space will include the Center’s food pantry, hygiene closet and clothing closets. “The rest were going to rebuild together,” says Chávez.

More than 75 individuals have already answered the call to join the board or the transition committee, or to volunteer at the Center. A ribbon cutting is planned for June 1.

“The community said, ‘Wait, we need this. We need this now more than we’ve ever needed it,” said Chávez. “I have this picture in my head of laying concrete, when people leave their handprints. I'm excited to see people, metaphorically, do that for the Pride Center, to put their handprints on it and own it and love it and nurture it, hold it accountable and show up when it's needed.”