For more than 35 years, Stonewall Alliance Chico has served as a hub for the North State's LGBTQ+ community. Now, the nonprofit is looking for new ways to secure its future after losing one of its largest sources of funding.
On July 1, Stonewall lost more than $120,000 in annual county funding when its longtime mental health contract with Butte County ended after California's Proposition 1 redirected behavioral health dollars toward treatment and housing programs.
“We held it for about 11 years within the county, it was our largest contract we had,” Stonewall’s Executive Director Justina Sotelo said.
The organization provides services including suicide prevention, support groups and trainings. With the funding loss, Sotelo has concerns the center could close.
“That's definitely a fear that many folks have, including myself and folks on staff,” Sotelo said. “We want to not just see it keep its doors open, but we want to see Stonewall continue to serve its community and as well grow right and thrive.”
To make that happen, the organization is relying on its reserves while making difficult decisions about which programs it can maintain.
“We did not cut down on staff, but we have cut down on different types of programming in order to make sure that we had sustained revenue in case we did need reserves,” Sotelo said.
Stonewall has enough reserves to continue to provide its core services through the current fiscal year. But Sotelo said it will need replacement funding beyond that.
A path forward
In June, the organization launched a Stability Development Fund to help build a more sustainable funding model.
“The sustainability fund is really looking at how we get to levels where we can provide more direct services and not have it at risk of being cut,” Sotelo said.
Stonewall hopes to raise $8,000. As of publication the fund had raised $3,412.
“When we opened this fund, it was very intentional that we were transparent with the money that we were looking to raise,” Sotelo said, “ and what that does is it will pay for an outside consultant to help guide us through the fiscal crisis we're in right now.
The fund will help Stonewall strengthen its grant writing, fundraising strategy and long-term planning.. Stonewall is also exploring a Medi-Cal billing pathway and partnering with a coalition advocating for dedicated state funding for LGBTQ+ community centers.
Sotelo said the organization’s staff are deeply rooted in the North State, making the organization's future personal.
“We work in Chico, we work in Butte County, we work in the Superior North State region, and so we're deeply committed to not only seeing the center be present and stay with us and stay open, but also grow to meet the needs of folks,” Sotelo said.
The road ahead
Stonewall's uncertainty comes as other community organizations, including the Iverson Wellness and Recovery Center and 6th Street Center for Youth, have also closed or announced plans to close amid changes to behavioral health funding.
In response, the organization plans to host a series of community events to hear from residents about which youth services they see as most needed.
“That is why we're starting our first round of empowerment circles, focusing on youth programming, because we know the impact of the 6th Street closure,” Sotelo said. “As we know, LGBTQ youth are disproportionately affected by homelessness and runaway youth statistics.”
Sotelo said Stonewall's future will depend on continued community support, and she's grateful to those who volunteer, bring the organization's trainings into workplaces and advocate for more inclusive practices.
“You cannot legislate us out of existence. You also cannot defund us out of existence,” Sotelo said, “just as this queer community has thrived before and has lived before, even without an organization, even without an institution. There is hope. There is a future forward, and we are doing our best to work towards it.”
