Located in sunny downtown Lake Worth Beach, Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center has long been a strong pillar of our community. Starting in 1988 as the Stop AIDS Project of South Florida Inc., they have expanded to become the oldest continuously operating LGBTQ+ Community Center in South Florida.
They offer a wide variety of services to better serve our local community and provide a safe space for queer individuals. Compass provides LGBTQ+ cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion training for individuals and local businesses.
They offer case management services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS, including mental health care, access to transportation, and linkage to care. They also provide free rapid HIV testing Monday through Friday and the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month, which includes free condoms and lube and inclusive sex education.
The recent addition of the CAN Community Health Clinic inside Compass has offered free STD panels, harm reduction services, on-site lab work, and gender-affirming care for transgender individuals. They also have an extensive youth program, providing social and therapy groups for queer and trans youth and their families at Compass and in the local community.
They work year-round to offer mental health care, academic support, and a safe space. Compass also provides a variety of other groups for LGBTQ+ folks of all ages, including Entourage, a social support group for LGBTQ+ young adults meeting at Compass every Thursday from 6-8.
Compass is also working to expand mental health care in the community, offering individual and group therapy, as well as providing referrals to community resources. The Pride Business Alliance is also a large part of Compass, which gathers local LGBTQ+ owned and ally businesses in South Florida to provide networking opportunities and a Pride business directory.
Compass hosts many major local events annually, such as the Stonewall Ball and Palm Beach Pride, the largest Pride event in Palm Beach County. Compass has worked for decades to provide LGBTQ+ advocacy and education and be a safe space for community members. They are an integral part of our local community, and their services are needed now more than ever.
Ky Walker is the Outreach Intervention Specialist at Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center.
More Queer Resources
By Kayla Barnes
PRISM
Focus: LGBTQ+ inclusive education and sexual health resources for youth.
Unique services: Anti-bullying resources, STI clinic vetting program, and youth ambassador program.
Latinos Salud
Focus: Health promotion and disease prevention within the LGBTQ+ Hispanic/ Latino community.
Unique Services: HIV / STD testing and prevention, PrEP Wellness Clinic, case management, vaccinations, wellness and peer support groups, life coaching for individuals living with HIV.
Transpire Help
Focus: Behavior health and housing for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially those with addiction issues.
Unique Services: Substance Use Treatment Services Scholarship, Gender Diversity Support Group, social interventions like legal name changes.
SunServe
Focus: Comprehensive services for the LGBTQ+ community, including mental health counseling, housing assistance, and senior care.
Unique Services: Specific programs for seniors and women, substance use recovery, and youth services.
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