New Inside Out community center for LGBTQ+ teens, young adults opens in Colorado Springs

When asked what they wanted in a new community center, many LGBTQ+ teens and young adults who use Inside Out Youth Services said they’d like accessibility for disabled peers, use of a shower and washer and dryer, a performance stage and a central location that’s near a bus line.

Almost everything envisioned is incorporated into the new center at 516 W. Colorado Ave. — except for a disco ball suspended over the stage. That’s to come, said Keeley Griego, digital and community educator for the nonprofit organization that provides numerous services for ages 13-24.

Inside Out, founded in 1990 for LGBTQ+ youths in Colorado Springs to find open arms and understanding minds, outgrew its previous location on South Wahsatch Avenue and announced in December it would move.

The new hangout-and-help center opened in February to clients, who accounted for 2,686 in-person visits last year. A ribbon-cutting for community supporters will be held April 15.

The nearly 3,500-square-foot new office is twice the size as the former space — where the organization had been located since 2017 — and has more practical and comfortable amenities.

A security guard is the first person to greet guests at the door, and if no security guard is available, the new center doesn’t open, which happened Tuesday night, Griego said.

“We feel very safe here,” she said.

Griego said the organization received an influx of hate messages and threats in the wake of the Nov. 19, 2022, shooting at Club Q, a gay bar.

“That was really scary,” she said, “especially for a place we considered to be a safe place.”

Inside Out closed its center for several months and has had a security guard for nearly a year.

With posted rules like “Be radically welcoming” and “In a world where you can be anything, be yourself,” and affirmation signs such as “You are loved,” the bright, airy suite features colorful couches, chairs, wall hangings and décor throughout multiple rooms on  the ground level.

Multi-colored fabric covers overhead fluorescent lighting for a muted effect, and natural light streams in from windows that provide outside views but are mirrored so passers-by cannot see in.

Users can find a sense of community, access resources and participate in programs.

“It’s unfortunate they have to be resilient, but we can support them with that when they do face challenges,” Griego said. “We can’t stop things from happening but prepare them with the tools to overcome the challenges.”

All services are free to youths. Two clinicians on staff take appointments for mental health care, there’s a library, food pantry, snack corner, clothing room, hygiene and health products, test kits for sexually transmitted infections and iPads for telehealth appointments.

“It’s hard for kids to go to their parents sometimes,” Griego said.

Youths can pick up a guitar or play the keyboard, sing, play games, be a DJ, shoot pool and do arts and crafts while making new friends. It's a time to chill out or get serious in an area that resembles a large living room.

A Makerspace offers healing opportunities, such as doodling and talking. Programs also are conducted virtually for youths who can’t physically come to the community center. Last year, there were 488 virtual visits via an online discord server, Griego said.

A memorial set up with candles and photos of LGBTQ+ people who have died recently, including victims of the Club Q shooting, is a reminder that struggles continue.

The memory of one Inside Out user, Spencer, who died by suicide in December, lives on the naming of a clothing room as Spencer’s Boutique.

Unlike incidents that might happen at school or home or public places, teens and young adults won’t encounter bullying at Inside Out and are accepted as they are, Griego said.

“Our young people deserve a dignifying, beautiful community center with trusting adults,” said CEO and Executive Director Jessie Pocock. “They have so many choices of what they can do here.”

One-fifth of clients are homeless or have unstable housing and can pick up supplies, such as sleeping bags, boots and nonperishable food, at the center.

Not much remodeling was needed for the building that has a history of catering to LGBTQ+ people. The building was formerly the Hide-and-Seek, a large complex with a nightclub and national musical acts, a restaurant and teen offerings.

“We’re also uplifting our elders who came to this space, which is really cool,” Griego said. “We can build off their legacy.”

The organization signed a lease last week on a building down the block for offices for 20 to 25 employees, Griego said.

Youths seem to like the improvements. Since opening last month, the new community center has seen a 25% increase in youths showing up for drop-in times and programming, she said.