LGBT teens find hope at Highland Park-based Ruth Ellis Center

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Located in the impoverished suburb of Highland Park, Michigan, The Ruth Ellis Center has been providing hope for LGBT teens since 1999.

Mark Erwin, director of community development, says that center was originally created to honor Ruth Ellis, an LGBT activist who is believed to be the oldest known ‘out’ African-American.

For decades, Ellis and her partner opened their home to the gay community in Detroit. In the late nineties a group of 12 professionals believed there was an urgent need for a similar space for LGBT youth and came together and made the center a reality.

“It’s a very urban community and there are significant challenges, as such as poverty, hunger, and unemployment. Young people are also engaging in survival sex work,” says Erwin.

According to the U.S. Census, the median household income in Highland Park from 2007 to 2011 was $19,872 compared to $48,669 for the entire state of Michigan. Almost half of the residents live below poverty level.

Though most of the young people of Highland Park are faced with the economic blight of their city, LGBT youth face experience even greater challenges. “A significant number of the youth at the center are experiencing homelessness because they’ve been kicked out of their homes or have run away,” says Erwin. “Many are experiencing depression, suicide ideation, and other risky behaviors. A large percentage has disclosed that they’re HIV positive.”

According to a 2011 study by Suicide Prevention Resource Center, gays and lesbians between the ages of 15 and 24 are up to three times more likely to report suicidal thoughts and up to seven times more likely to report having attempted suicide than their straight counterparts. Gay and bisexual men are also more severely affected by HIV than any other group in the United States, and African-Americans bear the greatest disproportionate burden. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that from 2008 to 2010, HIV infections among young African-American gay and bisexual men increased by 20 percent.

Erwin says that the founders of the center wanted to provide that safety net that the youth so desperately needed. They approach their programming with four guiding principles: harm reduction, positive youth development, transformative justice, and trauma-informed care. The center has a drop-in center as well as a residential center where they offer hot meals, showers, clothing, peer support groups, HIV testing, and mental health services. In addition to providing young people with their basic needs, the center also gives them opportunity to express themselves through art, ballet, and martial arts.

One of their singular programs is their popular voguing class. Voguing, which began in the 1980s in Harlem, took place in the form of balls held by “houses,” which were family-like collectives of LGBT dancers. The participants at Ruth Ellis carry on the tradition. “Voguing is so important to us. It establishes community and allows them to express themselves,” says Erwin. “We’re constantly thinking of non-biological family structures.”

The classes are so popular that the center sees 50-75 participants on any given night. “It’s great to see youth how have had challenges come together and dance and have a smile on their face,” Erwin says.

Because they want the youth to feel a sense of ownership of the space, Erwin says they allow them to decorate however they want. The walls are currently painted a warm and welcoming yellow and pink.

Their inclusive approach has proved to be successful. According to Erwin, the center had 5,300 contacts last year. “It goes to show you what can happen when you provide not only a welcoming space, but provide a place where youth can have a voice,” he says.

Erwin says he sees many young people flourish and then return to the center. “For me a success story is somebody who has gone through the facility, has gone to college, and is living on their own with a great job,” he says. “It means that we’ve established community, established a family. These permanent connections are incredibly important to youth.”