I am honored to share The Center’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Impact Report with you! Over the last fiscal year, we nurtured our LGBTQ+ community with critical services and resources, providing over 90,000 service visits across seven locations, a 16% increase from the prior year. Read the 2024 Annual Impact Report on our website. 

The past year has been a journey of both triumphs and challenges. While The Center has been preparing and is ready to defend our community against the new administration’s attempts at anti-LGBTQ+ policies, it is also important to look back on our victories from last year, celebrate our wins, and acknowledge the enduring strength that makes our LGBTQ+ community thrive—strength that is at the heart of The Center’s work and sustained by our Center Supporters.

Among the many accomplishments detailed in our report, I am proud to highlight a few that demonstrate the breadth and depth of The Center’s impact:

• New facilities and services: The Center successfully opened a new location on 5th Avenue in Hillcrest, now home to two critical programs: Behavioral Health Services for those in need of mental health support, and Adult Housing Services, the latest addition to our housing continuum, providing critical resources to people experiencing housing insecurity.
• 50th Anniversary Gala: This fiscal year marked a momentous milestone in The Center’s history as we celebrated five decades of resilience, advocacy, and community. We remain one of the oldest LGBTQ+ organizations in the country.
• FACE Team expansion: By growing our FACE (Fierce Advocacy & Civic Engagement) Team, we enhanced voter mobilization efforts and championed the SAFETY Act, helping to enact protections for LGBTQ+ students across California.
• LGBTQ+ Luminaries Lunch: Our inaugural event honored inspiring local leaders who continue to uplift and give back to our community here in San Diego.

These achievements underscore the vital role The Center plays in fostering an environment where community members can feel welcomed, valued, and supported.

As we look ahead, we are mindful of the challenges we face. An increasingly hostile political climate and escalating attacks on transgender and immigrant rights demand that we remain steadfast in our mission. The growing need for our services over the past year demonstrates both the struggles in our community and The Center’s enhanced ability to respond. We expect that our services and resources will be more crucial than ever in empowering and protecting all LGBTQ+ people—and we remain fully committed to our mission.

For many, The Center is a refuge, offering a warm, safe space and life-changing support. Thanks to our housing programs for LGBTQ+ youth and seniors, affirming health care services including free HIV testing, counseling, and support groups, and our advocacy efforts to protect our most vulnerable, The Center is a home for everyone who walks through our doors. We will continue to uplift and support our entire LGBTQ+ community, especially transgender and nonbinary community members and LGBTQ+ immigrants most impacted by ongoing political threats.

I hope our 2024 Annual Impact Report will serve as a reminder of our collective power and The Center’s enduring commitment to serve our community. This year’s Annual Impact Report, as well as our previous Annual Reports, can be found on our website.

Your support has always been the foundation of our success. As we prepare for another year of advocacy, direct services, and creating safe spaces for our community, we are grateful for your continued partnership. Together, we can ensure The Center remains a beacon of hope and progress for our LGBTQ+ community.

Thank you for being a part of our journey. Despite the challenges ahead, we look forward to achieving even more together in the year to come.

In community,

Cara Dessert (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer