Partners We Love: Center on Halsted

We love to give back to organizations in our community of Chicago. One group we are particularly proud to support is Center on Halsted.

What is Center on Halsted?

According to the Center on Halsted site, “Center on Halsted is the Midwest's most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people of Chicagoland. More than 1,000 community members visit the Center every day, located in the heart of Chicago's Lakeview Neighborhood.”

At the end of the day, Center on Halsted's mission is to support the LGBTQ community by advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the LGBTQ people of Chicagoland.

What sort of programs are provided by Center on Halsted?

Short answer: a lot.

Center on Halsted provides a vast array of programs and services designed to advance Chicago's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) and allied community. From cooking classes, yoga and volleyball games to job placement, HIV testing and group therapy, they work hard to enrich the lives of the people who visit Center on Halsted every single day.

Here are some of the programs currently offered:

• Behavioral Health - For more than 30 years, Center on Halsted has helped Chicago's LGBTQ community and caring allies meet their behavioral health needs. 
• HIV/AIDS & STD Health - Each of Center on Halsted’s HIV/STD and Sexual Health services align with the State of Illinois’ Getting To Zero plan which sets a goal of no new HIV transmissions by the year 2030 while ensuring people living with HIV can access resources to live full, meaningful lives. This includes free HIV/HCV testing, PrEP navigation and more.
• The Anti-Violence Project (AVP) - The AVP empowers communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.
• Cyber Center - Center on Halsted’s Dr. David J. Lochman Cyber Center provides technology training and internet access to the LGBTQ community. They work to advance technology competence, improve employability, and bridge the digital divide within the community.

There are a ton of other efforts coordinated by the Center of Halsted - this is just a few of their programs. For more, check out their site!

How can I help?

Center of Halsted gladly welcomes volunteers and monetary gifts. They also offer tours of the center for people who may be interested in getting involved with the LGBTQ community but they’re not sure how to get started or what level of commitment is right. 

They’ve also got a flexible event space located in their Lakeview neighborhood that can support weddings, conferences, theater events, workshops and more. And they offer trained facilitators to help strengthen organizational competencies and knowledge about the community - by supporting the facilitators and the event space, businesses can support a great cause, too!

Meliora Cleaning Products donates to Center on Halsted as part of our commitment to donating 2% of annual sales revenue to causes and organizations we support that are committed to making our planet and community better.