Spectrum of Findlay winding down as Kaleidoscope takes over

FINDLAY — As LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay is officially shuttering its programming, Columbus-based Kaleidoscope Youth Center is poised to take over. "(Spectrum of Findlay) reached out a while ago and gave generic financial reasons for closure," said Kaleidoscope's senior associate director of advancement and strategy, Jennifer Kuhn. "They didn't want to see there being a gap in LGBTQ support in the region. Actually that was part of our organization's overall strategic plan." So the partnership was born. Kaleidoscope Youth Center and Spectrum of Findlay have been working in tandem as Spectrum is working to close its office. But taking the full reins of support is a slow process. Currently, Kuhn said Kaleidoscope is working on gathering data from a survey to determine what services would be required the most in the Findlay community. "We took a little bit of time to come into the community just because we wanted to run a needs assessment, which we've still been in the process of doing, just to identify where there may be gaps in support and services," Kuhn said. But KYC has full plans to find a physical space in Findlay and hire full-time staff to support the LGBTQ+ community in the area. A previous Spectrum of Findlay employee has now accepted a job with Kaleidoscope to aid in the transition of services. "We just thought it made a lot of sense because that person already had connections, so now we have a permanent staff member that is in Findlay," Kuhn said. Kuhn also reported KYC is looking into deciding if it makes sense to partner with a community organization. In Columbus, the organization is currently servicing approximately 450 youth that come to its "drop in center" for support. Kuhn says she hopes there will be at least 100 more who will utilize the services of the Findlay office. What those services may be have yet to be decided based on the results of the needs assessment, but Kuhn did say the org is likely to continue its behavioral health services for LGBTQ+ youth that are available up to age 24 and its support groups that are available up to age 20. Adults who are beyond that age-range may still have an opportunity to work with KYC through community events and supportive services for parents and families of LGBTQ+ youth and a possible expansion of services. When asked about why KYC and other organizations' services are important, Kuhn said, statistics show that members of the LGBTQ+ community are affected by higher rates of depression, alcoholism and abuse among other things. While offering mental health services to everyone is good, being LGBTQ+ adds a layer of nuance that might get missed otherwise. By centering the voices and needs of the LGBTQ+ community, everyone benefits. "I'm excited for the transition," Kuhn said. "I'm hoping we can build something nice in the community together." Kuhn reported the official timeline for the transition is still up in the air, but said she is hopeful KYC will start offering programming by the end of the year but its first official introduction to the community will be the upcoming pride event scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Sept. 13 at Riverside Park in Findlay. Anyone wishing to contribute to the needs assessment to help determine what services will be offered to the Findlay community can do so at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMK_XB8tZ8Andz12jaN9Ukz1-19BDJ8nMYDDWYNCmx64k5PQ/viewform More information about Kaleidoscope Youth Center can be found at KYCOhio.org.