Gay Center Moving to Larger Quarters

The Ventura Gay and Lesbian Community Center is moving from downtown to an industrial section off East Main Street in about two weeks, a center official said.

Edie Brown, the center’s executive director, said last week that the organization is moving because of a rent increase and noise problems.

“This is a great move for us because we will have twice the amount of space and more room for programs,” she said. The downtown location helped raise the organization’s visibility, she added, boosting its client contacts to 18,000 from 4,500 in one year.

“In the new space we are hoping to expand our youth program, put in a computer lab for our kids and eventually have a women’s health screening program,” Brown said.

For more information about the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, call 653-1979.