Established in 1972 as a community-based nonprofit organization, The San Diego LGBT Community Center is one of the most vibrant and largest LGBTQ community centers in the nation. Functioning as the San Diego LGBTQ community’s anchor organization, The Center  provides targeted programs and services to the full diversity of the San Diego LGBT community, including men, women, youth, seniors, transgender and non-binary individuals, families, LGBTQ Latino/a/x  community members, and their families, and those living with HIV. From the start, The Center has created and provided innovative services, many first in the nation. Below find just a few examples:

• The first court-ordered same-sex domestic violence program in the nation
• The first program in the nation dedicated to the Latina/o/x community
• The first Youth drop-in Center in San Diego devoted to LGBTQ youth
• The only agency who offers free and anonymous HIV testing in San Diego
• The first Emergency Overnight Housing program devoted to LGBTQ youth in San Diego
• The first Host Home program devoted to LGBTQ youth in San Diego
• Provides case management and support services at San Diego’s first LGBTQ-affirming housing program for seniors
• The Center’s Food Bank won the 2016 Top Neighborhood Distribution Site Award

At The Center, our overarching philosophy and approach to providing support and services is trauma-informed care. Our support and services are designed to be both preventive and rehabilitative in working with people who have been impacted by traumatic events, including bullying, violence and systemic trauma.  Our team focuses on 6 key principles with our trauma-informed approach – safety; trustworthiness & transparency; peer support; collaboration & mutuality; empowerment, voice & choice; and cultural, historical, sexuality & gender issues.