LGBT centre faces closure due to lack of funding

Just two years after it opened following a seven-year campaign, the only resource centre for the gay community in the West of Ireland is threatened with closure after being turned down for funding to cover its operating costs.

Since opening its doors, Teach Solais has been a sanctuary for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) people of all ages and from across the region.

From the hub on Victoria Place, a host of volunteers run the LGBT helpline, have drop-in sessions on Saturdays, host peer support groups, offer free HIV testing and provide cultural competency and social inclusion training for professional service providers working with member of the LGBT community.

Social and well-being events which take place at the resource centre include meditation and yoga sessions, self-defence, writing and photography classes.

A once-off grant of €25,000 from Galway City Council and an award of €45,000 over three years from the Maureen O’Connell Fund through the St Vincent De Paul allowed Amach to open the resource centre and cover its running costs.

Amach have been repeatedly turned down by the HSE for funding of €90,000 to meet the €25,000 running costs for the building and the wages of a resource manager and an outreach worker.

LGBT resource centres in Dundalk, Dublin and Cork City receive ongoing funding for core staff, overheads and other operating costs.

Other than small project-specific grants, the centre has not received any State funds to provide services. Daily operations were managed by a worker through a community employment scheme, whose contract is coming to an end, explained Amach spokesperson Cameron Keighron. No permanent staff have ever been taken on due to funding.

“Trust is a big thing in the LGBT community and having the same friendly face there makes a huge difference so permanent staff is ideally what the centre needs instead of constantly having to change staff and build up that trust every single time,” he told the Galway City Tribune.

“We’ve spoken with politicians including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Health Minister Simon Harris, who all tell us we’re doing a great job which is great to hear but we need to establish ourselves on a more secure footing in order to continue that great job.”

Without a cash injection, the centre can only continue to operate as it currently is until November.

Its closure will be a big blow to all those who campaigned tirelessly to set it up since Amach was created in 2010. It will also devastate those who have come to rely on it, said Mr Keighron.

“We’ve had people who’ve driven up to six hours to be in that space for just two hours and have the support and social network that exists in Teach Solais,” he revealed.

“It’s the only space of its kind in the region, the only place they can get vital support and important information as well as being comfortable in a social setting that isn’t a pub.  Often we’ll be the first public place that people openly admit they’re LGBT. The centre is so busy the board can’t even meet there sometimes.”

Amach has invited all local politicians to a meeting to discuss the funding crisis on Friday, March 29 at 7.30pm in Teach Solais. Members of the public are invited to attend.