Give back to help support these LGBTQ+ organizations in Chicago!
Chicago’s LGBTQ+ scene is great thanks to its diversity. We put together this guide to help amplify Chicago's organizations and individuals providing a wide range of LGBTQ+ resources to help our community's most vulnerable. Read more to see how you can help by donating funds or your time through volunteering.
Acronyms used in this page:
LGBTQ+ - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and more
TGNC - Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming
BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
Photo credit: Vashon Jordan Jr.
Community Resources:
1515 E 52nd St. - South Side
Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ Center located on the South Side of Chicago, dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming and services for LGBTQ+ individuals on the South and West sides of the city. BSA provides a number of important services including mutual aid, knowledge sharing along with a pop-up center for career, government, and financial services in partnership with South Side Chicago Public Library branches. Get more information on how to donate and volunteer.
5463 W. Chicago Ave. - South Side
Life Is Work is a Black and Brown trans women-led social services organization. It empowers people in need through resources like emergency housing, non-medical case management, workforce development training, a food pantry, a solidarity closet, and more. The group also seeks to create spaces and events for TGNC joy and culture. You can donate to support their work or directly contribute to the pantry.
2335 N. Orchard St. - Lincoln Park
Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland is a Black LGBTQ+-led, multiracial social justice organization that advances justice for Black LGBTQ+ people across Chicagoland. They offer a range of programs to enrich the community through a monthly Black LGBT(Q)+ Caucus, self-care, healing, and spirituality programs, and even workforce development. Want to help, but how sure how? They have a simple "Get Involved Quiz" to get you started – and you can always donate to support.
1828 Old Naperville Rd. - Naperville, IL
Youth Outlook is the first social service agency in Illinois solely dedicated to the support of LGBTQ+ youth. The group leads community education initiatives with LGBTQ+ professionals and also hosts a bi-weekly support group called Thrive for parents and those actively parenting LGBTQ+ teens. Youth Outlook also has Drop-in Centers in six counties in the Chicago suburbs that meet weekly to create a comfortable social setting for LGBTQ+ youth to meet others like them and talk about a variety of important topics. More information on how to donate and volunteer.
2850 S. Wabash Ave. - South Side
Affinity Community Services is a Black and queer led organization on Chicago’s South Side dedicated to social justice in Black LGBTQ+ communities, with a particular focus on Black queer women through community organizing, intergenerational programming, education and healing justice. At the center of Affinity’s organization are their peer-led program groups that reach specific demographics in the community including LGBTQ+ senior citizens, parents of LGBTQ+ youth and masculine of center folks. More information on how to donate and volunteer.
Photo Credit: Instagram/Howard Brown Health
Health and Wellness:
4025 N. Sheridan Rd. - Lakeview
Howard Brown has been a prominent name in Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community for nearly 50 years. The organization works to eliminate unequal treatment of LGBTQ+ people in the healthcare and wellness worlds. Services include primary medical care, behavioral health, research, HIV/STI prevention, youth services, elder services and community initiatives. Simply put, everyone’s life is valued to the fullest at Howard Brown Health and it should be a first step in finding a healthcare plan that’s right for you.
3656 N. Halsted St. - Lakeview
Center On Halsted's role extends to all corners of local LGBTQ+ culture, improving the lives of community members in countless ways. The Center’s primary goal is connecting Chicagoans to the resources they need most like HIV/AIDS (and other STD) testing, housing services, behavioral health professionals and more. Even without urgent wellness needs, Center On Halsted is a great place to visit to get involved with community programs like volleyball, dance, cooking classes and group therapy.
2546 W. Division St. - Ukranian Village
Vida/SIDA, a division Chicago’s Puerto Rican Culture Center, provides linguistically and culturally appropriate HIV prevention services and education to Latinos and other minority groups, specifically individuals who identify as gay, bisexual and transgender. While Vida/SIDA’s primary focus is HIV prevention, it also provides resources for general STI testing, education and protection.
200 W. Monroe St. - The Loop
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago splits its efforts between providing for the approximately 28,000 Chicagoans living with HIV/AIDS and working to minimize the number of new cases. AFC provides fundraising and connects service providers with residents in need of testing, case management, health insurance, housing and other vital resources.
5837 S. Maryland Ave. - Hyde Park
University of Chicago’s Care2Prevent’s mission is to “radically” reduce the number of new HIV cases by providing treatment and preventative services for HIV positive, LGBTQ+ and underserved youth communities on Chicago’s South Side. By providing an array of free resources and services, the professionals at this non-profit are building towards a better, HIV-free future. Visit Care2Prevent’s website for free testing as well as doctor and therapist appointments.
1300 W. Belmont Ave. - Lakeview
Live Oak is a community of mental health service providers rooted in the LGBTQ+ community and still very much attuned to the needs of that community when it comes to finding a comforting, goal-oriented therapist. Live Oak is committed to working with new patients to find a compatible therapist and approach to therapy.
Online resource
The experts at Testing.com have noticed a rising number of STD cases in Naperville, and have created a comprehensive resource that features helpful information about STDs to help combat the worsening problem. Check them out online for a directory of local organizations, at-home testing, and more information.
Online resource
Bicycle Health started as a single clinic and developed into an online resource that provides access to high-quality, integrated medical and behavioral healthcare for people with opioid use disorder. Since LGBTQ+ individuals experience rates of substance use disorders two to five times that of the general population, they've created an online resource with information on their own services, additional treatments, AA & NA meetings, and more.
909 W. Belmont Ave. - Lakeview
Hundreds of Chicagoans find solace in the New Town Alano Club’s 12-step recovery meetings every week. NTAC, a non-profit corporation, provides meeting space for more than fifty various recovery meetings per week including Al-Anon, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous and many more life-changing programs. NTAC-sponsored meetings welcome any and all Chicagoans but specifically celebrate the value of LGBTQ+ people.
Photo Credit: Facebook/The Night Ministry
Housing:
1735 N. Ashland Ave. - Wicker Park
The Night Ministry compassionately provides housing and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness, poverty and loneliness. With programs including Youth Engagement Services and Early Intervention Services at the Response-Ability Pregnant and Parenting Program, The Night Ministry provides a vital first step toward safety and improved circumstances. The organization also focuses on health care and human connection with services such as their Health Outreach Bus and Street Medicine Program. More information on how to support.
439 Bohland Ave. - Bellwood, IL
The West Suburban Senior Services Bellwood Senior Center provides services to older adults, ensuring access to socialization, mental stimulation and access to other services important to the senior community. The organization's SAGE program (Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders) serves the LGBTQ+ older adult population in the western suburbs of Chicago by offering targeted outreach and services that promote equality and dignity and break down barriers that can limit access to needed services. More information on how to volunteer.
330 W. North Ave. - Old Town
Project Fierce Chicago seeks to create affirming transitional housing for LGTBQ+ youth in Chicago that is responsive to the needs of young people. The organization is a grassroots response to LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and works by mobilizing the community and providing pathways to independence. More information on how to donate and volunteer.
2546 W. Division St. - Ukrainian Village
The El Rescate Transitional Living Program is part of Chicago's Puerto Rican Cultural Center and provides culturally appropriate, identity-affirming housing for homeless LGBTQ and/or HIV-positive youth through a continuum of solutions. As part of El Rescate’s program, youth learn to live with peers, have access to the HIV prevention services offered by Vida/SIDA as well as employment and educational resources and living skills training with an emphasis on respect for others and especially for themselves.
1925 N. Clybourn Ave. - Lincoln Park
Chicago House is a social service organization that supports individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS and the broader LGBTQ community with housing, health, and employment support. In addition to these housing resources, the organization has a focused TransLife Care program to provide free healthcare and social services to vulnerable TGNC individuals. Expanded services under this program include three resource drop-in centers on the North, South and West sides of Chicago to provide access to on-site healthcare providers, sexual health screeners, legal counsel, case managers, employment, and much more.
Nationwide resource
Assisted Living offers LGBTQ-friendly retirement and independent living communities for queer seniors across the nation. It is a great service for those in need to live alongside peers and receive care from attendants who are accepting and understanding of queer identities. The Chicago Town House Apartments provides low-income options and various on-site amenities.
Photo Credit: Facebook/Transformative Justice Law Project
Legal Services:
203 N. Lasalle St. - The Loop
The Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois is deeply committed to prison abolition, transformative justice, and gender self-determination. The organization is most widely known for its free and monthly Name Change Mobilization program that provides the services of attorneys and trained volunteers to assist TGNC folks file petitions to change their legal names. Its professionals also provide criminal legal services to low-income and street-based TGNC people, including criminal defense, criminal record expungement, and sealing and advocacy in jail and prison.
224 S. Michigan Ave. - The Loop
The National Immigration Justice Center is a Heartland Alliance Program that has a dedicated LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Initiative to provide legal services to low-income LGBTQ+ immigrants and those who are living with HIV/AIDS. The organization offers affordable services to asylum seekers, bi-national same-sex couples, survivors of violent crimes, LGBTQ+ immigrant detainees and individuals seeking appeals. More information on how to seek assistance.
105 W. Adams St. - The Loop
Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization whose mission is to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV/AIDS. The organization focuses on impact litigation, education and public policy by selectively working cases that will have the greatest impact in protecting and advancing the rights of and building public support for equality for LGBTQ+ people and those with HIV/AIDS. More information on how to donate, volunteer and seek assistance.
We will be updating the list as we find more local LGBTQ+ resources. If we missed something that could be useful contact us at [email protected]
