The HELP Center for LGBT Health & Wellness is holding an open house to dedicate its new facility at 602 E. South Street in Arlington on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m. The public is invited to tour the building, learn about what HELP offers in its new facility and enjoy light refreshments. Arlington Mayor Jim Ross will speak at 3:30 p.m.
The grand opening celebration is being held in conjunction World AIDS Day, a major emphasis area of HELP’s programming for the past 27 years.
The expanded facility, located in the former South Side Elementary School, was made possible, in part, by a $383,750 grant from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation and will provide a larger, more accommodating home for HELP’s Arlington operations, which opened in 2018 at 200 East Division St.
Opening this new center will allow HELP to expand its services, offering new programs and reaching more people in need. HELP’s previous Arlington locations served more than 1,000 individuals and provided more than $10,000,000 in life-saving medications last year, noted HELP CEO DeeJay Johannessen.
“The opening of our new Arlington facility significantly augments HELP’s capacity,” Johannessen said. “Removing barriers to healthcare and providing a safe and supportive environment for the lGBT community is our mission, and this new location will enable us to reach and serve even more people in North Texas.”
In addition to office space and a clinic providing PrEP, testing for HIV and syphilis, counseling, and other health services, the new HELP Center will contain a 2,500 square foot community space for meetings and events — the first physical home for the LGBTQ community in Arlington.
For more information, call 817-332-7722 or email DeeJay Johannessen at deejay@helpcentertx.org.
— Tammye Nash
