The North County LGBTQ Resource Center closed escrow Jan. 31 on a building it has occupied since September on Apple Street in Oceanside.
The Resource Center and its supporters raised more than $1 million to make a down payment on the $4.5 million property, the former home of the Bread of Life Rescue Mission for more than a decade.
Raising the money was “daunting, and at times, even scary … but through it all, we felt the love, strength, and unwavering support of the community rallying behind us,” said Max Disposti, the center’s executive director and founder.
Donations are needed more than ever because of funding cuts and other difficulties facing the LGBTQ community across the nation, Disposti said in a written announcement.
“Our community support remains critical,” he said. “Every donation helps us fight back, expand our programs, and ensure that our community remains safe and organized.”
The center’s services have grown extensively just in the past few months to accommodate the requests from the North County region, Disposti said.
The center opened its first location in 2011 and now has 26 staff members. It provides a variety of services for the LGBTQ community, also access to youth shelters, case management and services for victims of violence and crime, the elderly, the hungry and the homeless.
In December, the Oceanside City Council approved approved a one-year, $229,368 contract with the nonprofit Dreams for Change to operate the city’s first safe parking lot for homeless people at the Resource Center.
The parking program will prioritize individuals referred through agencies such as the Oceanside Housing Authority, the Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team, and the Resource Center.
The safe parking site will operate from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. with room for 25 to 30 vehicles, and two staff members will be present from 6:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. nightly, according to a city report.
