COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Prism Community Collective, a new LGBTQ+ resource center, is opening its doors to the public Wednesday. The center is one-of-a-kind for Colorado Springs, aiming to provide access to LGBTQ+ mental and physical health connections.
"Prism, in my mind, is a place to start for a lot of people that puts them in the driver seat of what they want to do next," site director Stoney Roberts said.
Roberts said he's lived in Colorado Springs for most of his life and has noticed a need for a permanent, inclusive space for queer people. He believes Prism fills the gap.
"I think this expands the network to a lot people who may feel super-duper isolated and the lack of resources underscores that isolation, and this is one way to try and buttress that," Roberts said.
Roberts said a place where he felt served people in his community was Club Q. He said he grew up waiting for the day he could experience the unique venue.
"The idea of going to Club Q is something I longed for, and I finally went and was like, this is what connecting with queer people feels like," Roberts recalled.
The safety and inclusivity of Club Q was stolen November 19, 2022, when a shooter came into the nightclub and shot more than 20 people, killing 5.
Prism Community Collective prepares to open in Colorado Springs
"From that survivor perspective as well, it’s like reacclimating them back to the LGBTQ community and really making them feel comfortable to come back to a space after a mass tragedy, tragic incident, and really make them feel like them belong here," community manager John Arcediano said.
Arediano has a personal connection to Club Q survivors, being a survivor, himself. He said the shooting uprooted peoples' lives and ties to the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs.
"We’re trying to help survivors navigate through those processes and make sure they get what they need at the end of the day," Arediano said. "Since we’ve already opened, we’ve already had survivors come into this room and to see the smiles on their faces while playing board games and finding connection amongst each other to speak about that night and their experience, has been so important and so impactful."
He said for survivors and the community-at-large, he hopes everyone feels like Prism provides a warm, welcoming space.
"Colorado Springs hasn’t had a space like that, so we wanted to create a space that everybody who walked through our doors felt like they belonged in this space," Arediano said.
Each room at Prism is named for each victim of the shooting: Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh.
Funding for the center partially came from the Anti-Terrorism Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP), a federal grant.
Community Health Partnerships (CHP) said the grant provides financial support to hire Prism's staff, rent, peer support, technology and navigation resources.
Senior manager of health equity, Rachel Keener, said she's experienced, firsthand, the need for a place like Prism in the Springs.
"People long before my time have talked about the disparity in access to mental and physical care providers for the LGBTQ community here, most specifically for transgender and gender expansive folks," Keener shared.
She said the site will have clinical mental health resources and work with local care organizations to provide physical health resources.
The official opening of the center is scheduled for June 5 with a celebration to begin at 10 a.m.
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