Fresno LGBTQ+ resource center closes due to lack of funding
.jpg "LGBTQ+ Youth Affirmations are painted on the walls of the Fresno EOC LGBTQ+ Resource Center in downtown Fresno.")
A Fresno LGBTQ+ center that stepped in to fill a void in community resources will close before the end of the year due to a lack of funding.
On Friday, the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (Fresno EOC) announced that it’s LGBTQ+ Resource center, located at 1900 Mariposa Street, will close its doors Saturday, Dec. 27.
“We know how difficult this news is to hear,” said Misty Gattie Blanco, Fresno EOC sanctuary director in a news release.
The center provided peer support groups, case management, advocacy, trauma-informed care and housing needs in an inclusive environment. Fresno EOC will continue to provide its other services and make community referrals as needed, according to the release.
Jason Scott, executive director of the community organization LGBTQ Fresno, says the closure of the resource center eliminates one of the limited safe spaces for queer individuals.
“Unfortunately, it’s still somewhat common for individuals to feel that they are not accepted in their own homes, maybe even their own workplace,” Scott said. “To have a space where they can go in and just feel like they don’t have to pretend that they’re something else is so essential.”
LGBTQ+ resource center will close due to lack of funding
Fresno EOC is a non-profit dedicated to fighting poverty with over 30 programs. The organization is the largest recipient of federal grant funding in Fresno County, receiving an annual $188 million, The Bee previously reported. Most of this funding is allocated to the early childhood enrichment program, Head Start.
The LGBTQ+ center was initially funded through federal grants, but faced cuts earlier this year. The city provided financial support to continue operations through the end of the year.
“Without that support, we would have closed much sooner,” Blanco said in the statement. “We are thankful for the city’s partnership and remain hopeful future funding will allow the center to return.”
Fresno EOC has been actively searching and applying for new funding opportunities to continue the center, according to the release.
Fresno EOC center filled resource gap in community
At the time of the center’s opening in 2019, it was the sole physical space for the LGBTQ+ community in Fresno. In recent years, other organizations have opened up.
Scott told The Bee that a larger space that once housed the Fresno EOC’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center closed in March and the agency then continued to offer services through a smaller office.
That move eliminated resources like a community clothing closet, a “Little Queer Library,” and a place for other LGBTQ+ organizations in the community to host events, he said.
“It’s really something that, you know, unless you’ve lived through it, don’t realize how much of an impact it can be, especially here in the Central Valley,” Scott said.
The Fresno LGBTQ website provides a community calendar and resource directory that can connect people to similar resources that the Fresno EOC’s center provides.
“There’s still reasons to be hopeful,” Scott said. “There’s still organizations that are still working hard every day to fill in the gaps that this closure will cause as much as we can.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2025 at 3:35 PM.