The LGBT Center of Greater Reading will be expanding its reach to communities outside Berks County.
The nonprofit organization announced Wednesday that it will be opening two new satellite offices at two existing agencies in neighboring counties. A Montgomery County site will be in Pottstown and a Lancaster County site will be opening in Columbia.
Organization officials said the new offices will allow the center to expand its footprint into these communities and enable them to provide critical resources and support to more LGBTQ+ people.
“The LGBTQ+ population is underserved and underrepresented in both Montgomery and Lancaster counties, just as in Berks County,” LGBT Center of Greater Reading Executive Director Michelle Dech said in a press release. “We are proud to partner with these two organizations to help them expand further into their own service areas, and we are excited for the opportunities this will bring to all of us as an integrated network of LGBT community representatives.”
The office in Pottstown will be known as the LGBT Center of Greater Reading at Family by Choice. It is located within First Baptist Church at 301 King St.
“Family by Choice is excited to welcome and partner with the LGBT Center of Greater Reading as we expand our services to the Pottstown community in all its diversity,” said the Rev. Dr. Marcia Bailey of the LGBT Center of Greater Reading at FBC.
The office in Columbia will be known as the Rivertown Pride Center, an affiliate of the LGBT Center of Greater Reading. It is located at 324 Walnut St.
“The Rivertown Pride Center team is very excited about our affiliation with The LGBT Center of Greater Reading,” said Rivertown Pride Center Director Mark Harris. “Being part of their family will give us access to many resources, perhaps the greatest of them being the knowledge and experience of a successful center with a solid history of success.”
Dech said these two new locations will support the mission to provide services, advocacy and support to the LGBTQ+ community.
The center provides support groups, free mental health counseling, life skills programming, monthly community meals, health initiatives and food pantry services. They partner and collaborate with more than 200 additional local social services, public health, family, and other organizations to provide comprehensive support to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Those in need of support or information about the center, should visit lgbtcenterofreading.com or call 484-513-3170.
Source: Berkshire mont
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