The 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center says it’s in “financial crisis” and changing leadership, though it plans to remain open and continue to serve the community.
The organization’s board of directors sent an email to stakeholders on Friday announcing its decision to lay off executive director Rosanne St. Sauver as a salaried employee.
“It was a board decision based on the financial status and the budget,” St. Sauver said. “I will still be affiliated with the center in the capacity that it makes sense with the budget and make sure that needs are met.”
The resource center serves as one of the most prominent gay support organizations in western Wisconsin.
Board president Cindy Killion, who was elected in January, called the situation “transitional,” noting that the recession has been “hitting everyone in terms of funding” and there is “not a lot of grant money available.”
“In the last four months, we’ve been a little more aggressive about applying, but there are not many that would fund an organization like ours,” she said. “I think it’s (because of) LGBT issues, to be quite honest.”
Grants and donations make up the center’s budget, which was $60,000 last year, Killion said. Most of it went toward paying the executive director’s salary and taxes.
“We could not keep up with the expenses,” said board treasurer Violetta Iguchi. “Rather than close down, we decided to reduce our costs as much as we could. One way to do that was, unfortunately, cutting down the salary for executive director.”
When Iguchi became treasurer in January, it was already obvious the group was in a “crisis situation,” she said.
“The money was running out,” she said. “It was a bit disorganized.”
Iguchi proposed a long-term financial strategy that she hopes will not only get the center “back to where we were,” but “expand its activities” and “make it a part of the community at large.”
“We are hoping to rehire staff, although that’s premature at the moment,” she said.
Plans for expansion include partnerships with law enforcement, working with counselors and physicians, and inviting the community in for focus groups, Iguchi said.
“We have an open-door policy for everybody,” she said. “But the center has been underutilized. We could have engaged many more communities.”
As board president, Killion will oversee these changes and hopes to delegate new responsibilities to board members or volunteers. She wants to double the size of the board to 12 members and create a volunteer coordinator position.
“There’s a lot of infrastructure things that need to happen,” she said.
But Iguchi says the newly restructured organization is already off to a good start.
“We’re very hopeful that things are going to get better,” she said. “The board is very dedicated, and we have spent an enormous amount of hours working on plans. We’re really committed to having a center here.”
Although the changes have been “big,” St. Sauver is optimistic about the center’s future as well.
“The center is a great place,” she said. “If people are committed to affirming the quality and the dignity of all people, now is a great time to consider volunteering and supporting the center in a time of transition.”
Article source: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/b9b45ba0-dac3-11e1-bdc0-001a4bcf887a.html
Tags: LGBT news