Gay and Lesbian Center Opens Doors

Saying they have long sought a place in Ventura County where problems could be shared and information could be obtained, officials of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center formally opened their doors in Ventura Sunday afternoon.

The center, the product of more than two years of planning, will offer individual and group counseling, a monthly HIV-testing clinic and an array of social activities designed by and for gays and lesbians, according to Sherren Wells, president of the center’s board of directors.

“Our goal is to make this a place that will become an all-inclusive center to provide services, information and emotional and social support for gays, lesbians and bisexual people in Ventura County,” Wells said. “It has been a long-held dream of ours to have such a place, and now it’s finally open.”

The 2,000-square-foot center, located in the 1900 block of Main Street, is equipped with offices, counseling rooms and kitchen facilities. It will be run by an all-volunteer staff Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Wells said the center, which will run on an estimated $22,000 annual budget, also will provide office space for the Metropolitan Community Church, which currently holds services at the Church of the Foothills in Ventura.

For Sal Fuentes, a 31-year-old Ventura gay man, AIDS educator and center board member--the new facility will go a long way toward meeting the needs of the county’s gay and lesbian population.

“A lot of members of the gay community go to Los Angeles or Santa Barbara for the services,” Fuentes said. “Now, with this center being open, people will have a place to go to here in Ventura. We aim to make it a place for people seeking understanding and compassion. We want it to be like family.”

Fuentes added that the center also will provide a meeting place for gays and lesbians by offering coffeehouse nights, art exhibitions and other activities.

Victoria Andersen, 41, of Newbury Park, said she believes the presence of the center may help foster better understanding among straight, gay and lesbian residents in the county.

“I think a center like this will help give our community some visualization, and that may help better integrate us into society and establish better understanding of who and what we are,” Andersen said.

The center’s address is 1995 E. Main St. People seeking more information on available programs and services may call the center at (805) 653-1979.