For over 26 years, Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) has been the largest and longest standing organization in Ohio solely dedicated to serving and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth ages 12-24. KYC educates youth and the community about LGBTQIA+ issues and advocates for safe and inclusive spaces. It provides culturally relevant programming and supports those who are struggling with identity issues, family discord, mental health problems, and the challenges of adolescence. 

More than 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQIA+. Through its Supportive Co-Housing program, KYC provides intentional living spaces for LGBTQIA+ homeless or housing insecure young people. Support for this Better Together project provided the basic essentials young people need when moving into their first independent living space, including towels, bed sheets, toiletries, cleaning and laundry supplies, hangers, and kitchen and food essentials.

Through social and peer support, KYC works to empower youth to build community with one another and to advocate for themselves and their communities. Thank you for helping provide LGBTQIA+ youth with a sense of belonging and community.

We are Better Together!

“Our mission at KYC is to serve and support LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. Genuine support is ensuring that the individual basic needs of our youth are met. Housing is more than shelter. Housing means food, water, warmth, rest, and, most importantly, safety and security. Youth having that first essential building block of housing, supported by this Better Together project, is urgent and essential.” 

—Cliff Mason, MSW, MSEd, Board President

“Providing housing for our young people is one of the most important ways we can support them on their path toward thriving. ‘Welcome Home’ kits are a tangible way to let these young people know that they are not alone and that their community is rooting for them!”

—Erin Upchurch, MSSA, LISW-S, KYC Executive Director

“I have seen firsthand how having items of their own, ones that won’t be taken away or removed because they can't fit them into small spaces provided by friends or shelter employees, is crucial in the journey to authentic independent living and personhood. When a young person doesn't have to worry about where the big things are coming from, they are able to reason better, communicate better, and self-motivated to improve their lives and relationships.”

—Shantelle Rogers, BSW, LSW, Director of Community Based Wellness at KYC