Our Spot KC expands LGBTQ+ support with new space in East Marlborough
Photo Courtesy of Google Maps
LGBTQ+ pride isn’t all parades, rainbows, and festivals. With queer and trans people continuing to face discrimination and hate on local, state, and national levels, the most important aspect of pride continues to be the community showing up for each other.
Our Spot KC dedicates itself to providing life-saving resources for local LGBTQ+ people. Their new space will be opening in the East Marlborough neighborhood, and they plan on offering their services in the recently developed hub by late August 2024.
The non-profit organization began in 2016 with founding members Starzette Palmer, Mel Winter, and James Moran, who noticed reoccurring problems within the LGBTQ+ community, specifically regarding the disproportionate amount of unhoused queer folks, specifically children.
“A lot of that has to do with not being supported at mainstream agencies. Making it to the streets in the first place beyond your typical drivers of homelessness or issues are family rejection and fleeing violence,” says Moran, who currently works as Director of Education and Public Relations.
“Lion House is our largest program, which provides housing and supportive services to LGBTQ folks, youth, adults, and families who are experiencing homelessness,” he says. “We find that LGBTQ+ folks who are in need of those supportive services that prevent homelessness don’t have the same kind of safe access that the general population does, especially in our area and the way the climate is.”
Nearly 50% of unhoused youth in Kansas City are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. “A lot of that has to do with, again, not being supported at those mainstream agencies. Making it to the streets in the first place, beyond your typical drivers of homelessness, are issues of family rejection or fleeing violence,” Moran says.
Our Spot KC expands outside of rehousing services, it contains multiple branches that expand to areas where the LGBTQ+ community often lacks resources. OutSkrts provides educational services regarding health so that queer women and women of color can navigate the healthcare system.
According to the ACLU, Missouri and Kansas have a combined 55 anti-LGBTQ bills presented to their governments. Our Spot KC also advocates for queer people politically. “We speak with politicians and legislators giving advice and information about what the LGBTQ experience is in our area,” Moran says.
Their work toward equity for all queer people starts at the individual level. “If there’s a crisis in the community, whether it be a hate crime or, god forbid, a murder, we have worked with families and law enforcement agencies to ease the process of investigation or seeking justice,” Moran says. “Whether that be assisting the family with their needs in their time of crisis or facilitating the work on behalf of the law enforcement agency to make sure that the families of the victims are as best supported as they can be.”
The employees truly love the work they do, despite how difficult it can be at times. Moran says, “It’s always a grind, it’s always a push. I think about it as I could probably work my body harder in another position, and I wouldn’t be able to give back in the same way. Like, if I’m going to work this hard. Why not do it for the better good?”
For more information on Our Spot KC and its programs, or to make a donation so they can continue their work, visit their website.
