The Montrose Center is an LGBTQ community center located in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, in the United States. The organization provides an array of programs and services for the LGBTQ community, including mental and

behavioral health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

, anti-violence services, support groups, specialized services for youth, seniors, and those living with HIV, community meeting space, and it now operates the nation's largest LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center in the nation, the Law Harrington Senior Living Center. It is a member of the

National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, or NCAVP, is a national organization dedicated to reducing violence and its impacts on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in the United States. It was founded in 1995 by Glo ...

.Tasha Amezcua et al. (2011). ''Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-affected Intimate Partner Violence 2011.'' New York City, New York. National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. It is in Neartown (Montrose).

History

The Montrose Center opened in 1978 as Montrose Counseling Center (MCC), after the widely successful Town Hall Meeting I at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

. It began by offering primarily behavioral counseling and

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

for

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

people. The center faced many financial burdens in its formative years, particularly because of the high cost of providing

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

for its employees living with

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

. Then, in 1983, the Montrose Activity Center, another LGBTQ-oriented community center, gave the center $15,000 to keep operating. The center still struggled financially until 1990, when the

Ryan White CARE Act The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (Ryan White CARE Act), ), was an act of the United States Congress and is the largest federally funded program in the United States for people living with HIV/AIDS. In exchange for State ...

was passed, and the center received funding through the act, allowing it to expand its services. It was the first behavioral health center to receive funding under the Ryan White CARE Act. In the 1990s the center became one of the first places in Houston to offer temporary housing to

gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including ' ...

and

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

people. In 2013, the center changed their name from the Montrose Counseling Center to the Montrose Center, because they felt that they offered many more services than just counseling, and did not want people to feel as though they could only come to the center for

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

problems. Around the same time, the windows of the Montrose Center were painted in rainbow colors to represent that it served the LGBTQ community. The center also unveiled new logos for some of its signature programs. In 2016, the Montrose Center was a target for protest by the

Westboro Baptist Church The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small American, unaffiliated Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, founded in 1955 by pastor Fred Phelps. Labeled a hate group, WBC is known for engaging in homophobic and anti-American pickets, as ...

. The group stated that they were protesting the Montrose Center because " tis an oozing, purulent sore of sodomite contagion: pushing proud sin and the proliferation of incurable disease". The Montrose Center urged people not to

counter-protest A counter-protest (also spelled counterprotest) is a protest action which takes place within the proximity of an ideologically opposite protest. The purposes of counter-protests can range from merely voicing opposition to the objective of the othe ...

the group, but to instead ignore them. Executive Director Ann J. Robison, PhD, also said she almost considered the group's visit "a badge of honor", and nearly felt proud that the group realized that the Montrose Center existed and was working for the LGBTQ community.

Services

The Montrose Center provides counseling services,

group therapy Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, i ...

, individual therapy,

couples therapy Couples therapy (also couples' counseling, marriage counseling, or marriage therapy) attempts to improve romantic relationships and resolve interpersonal conflicts. History Marriage counseling originated in Germany in the 1920s as part of the eu ...

, HIV/AIDS support,

support group In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping str ...

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

services,

hate crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

support, support for those who experience

domestic violence in same-sex relationships Domestic violence in same-sex relationships is a pattern of violence or abuse that occurs within same-sex relationships. Domestic violence is an issue that affects people of any sexuality, but there are issues that affect victims of same-sex domes ...

, and general wellness programming. It has services available in both English and Spanish.

Anti-violence

Domestic violence

In 2011, the Montrose Center was part of a report issued by the

that addressed intimate partner violence for LGBT individuals. In the report, it stated that it had served 27 victims of intimate partner violence in the previous year, 52% of which were men, 44% women, and 4% transgender individuals. The Montrose Center believes it is better able to cater to

men A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chro ...

and transgender victims of domestic violence than other anti-domestic violence shelters, such as the Houston Area Women's center, as these people need separate space.

Hate crimes

The Montrose Center's anti-violence program began in 1991 as a reaction to the

murder of Paul Broussard Paul Broussard (1964–1991), a 27-year-old Houston-area banker and Texas A&M alumnus, died after a gay bashing incident outside a Houston nightclub in the early hours of July 4, 1991. Nine teenaged youths, ages 15–17, and one 22-year-old we ...

. The Montrose Center helps victims of all types of hate crimes, not just LGBTQ-related hate crimes. It provides counseling, case management, and court accompaniment to assist victims of hate crimes. In 2015, the Montrose Center reported helping 42 victims of hate crimes.

Health

Mental health

The Montrose Center began with providing

services to LGBTQ individuals as its mission. Over time, the center has added substance abuse treatment to its services. It provides

outpatient care Ambulatory care or outpatient care is medical care provided on an outpatient basis, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation services. This care can include advanced medical technology and procedu ...

for

and addiction, in addition to substance abuse

s or " 12 Step Programs".

Youth programs

One of the Montrose Center's cornerstone programs is its youth program, Hatch Youth. Hatch began in 1987 as a separate organization, but became a Montrose Center program in 2003. Hatch Youth supports LGBTQIA+ youth through social drop-in hours with educational programming, cultural events like a

prom A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school yea ...

, and specifically deals with LGBT! youth homelessness. Hatch also works with LGBT! youth who have been victims of

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...

, and works to prevent

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

self-harm Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilatio ...

. Out for Education is a foundation that provides scholarships for LGBTQ youth to pursue higher education. Founded in 1999, it is operated and funded solely by volunteers and donations. Hatch and Out for Education have given over one million dollars in scholarships to LGBTQ youth in Houston, giving many LGBTQ youths the opportunity to pursue higher education. A study done that researched Hatch Youth found that those who attended Hatch programs felt they had increased social support and experienced a decrease in depressive symptoms, especially if they had been attending the program for more than six months.

Senior programs

The Montrose Center has special programming for senior citizens, as older LGBTQ individuals often face various unique problems with accessing healthcare, assisted living, and general issues with retirement. The specific sub-organization for seniors is SPRY, or "Seniors Preparing for Rainbow Years," that hosts many activities targeted towards seniors. The Montrose Center even focuses on training people who interact with LGBTQ seniors outside of the SPRY program to recognize warning signs of senior depression and suicide. One event for senior citizens is "Diner Days" every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, where seniors can socialize and have lunch.

Law Harrington Senior Living Center

In 2019, the Montrose Center began construction on an LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center in Third Ward. Named after activists Charles Law, PhD and Eugene M. Harrington, LLM, the Montrose Center completed construction on the Law Harrington Senior Living Center in January 2021. It is the nation's largest, LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center. The $26.5 million facility features 112 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments and is open to low-income individuals and couples who are 62 years or older that meet income requirements.

Recreational

The Montrose Center offers services that are more directed towards community building and general recreation, rather than health or anti-violence. One such service is through the now closed Equal Grounds café, which was a small coffee shop at the entrance of the building. The renovation to add the café cost the center $25,000. The café closed due to issues with staffing and maintenance. The café was initially planned to be named the Gayborhood Café, as Montrose is often referred to as a

gayborhood A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in rel ...

. The Montrose Center also offers free LGBTQ-friendly

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

classes. The classes are taught by volunteers, and serve as an inclusive space for people to release stress. In addition to yoga, the Montrose Center teaches free

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

and other well-being related courses.

References

External links

* * {{LGBT in Texas 1978 establishments in Texas LGBT culture in Houston LGBT organizations in the United States Neartown, Houston Organizations based in Houston Organizations established in 1978