Q Youth ‘about to go under’
A safe space for young people in the LGBTQI+ community is facing possible closure in the middle of Top of the South Pride.
Now in its 15th year of operation, the youth-run drop-in service Q Youth is facing a financial crisis as it waits to hear whether funding applications have been successful.
“We're about to go under, and if we go under, it will be in the middle of Pride – in the middle of Nelson's celebration for rainbow community and diversity,” co-chairperson Evelyn Bafico said.
As well as operating as a drop-in centre and counselling service, Q Youth supports Queer Straight Alliance groups in schools, and runs community training.
It costs $106,000 a year to operate, of which about 80% is staff wages.
Treasurer Iris Foster said Q Youth had about four to five weeks of funding left, “with no confirmed revenue streams”. There were grants applications that it was hoping would come through later in the year, but until then, it needed to raise a minimum of $6500 a month to keep the doors open, she said.
“That’s offering minimal to no services – that’s just holding on to what we have.” It was crunch time financially, Evelyn said. “In the next week or two, we have to make that really hard decision of whether we can stay open.”
It was getting more difficult to access grants and funding, she said.
Centre manager Kayla Bafico said Q Youth was also getting more expensive to run, particularly if it wanted to pay staff adequately in light of the cost of living crisis.
A big issue in securing funding was that Q Youth was often competing with national groups, she said.
“A lot of organisations who provide funding are more likely to provide higher funding or funding ... to an organisation that is national, as opposed to being regional.”
While this was “understandable”, many national groups were stretched thin, and couldn’t offer the same local knowledge and assistance that a regional organisation could, she said. “Where are the Nelson people supposed to go?”
As well as providing a safe space for young people to hang out among peers, Q Youth also helped people access services and assistance they otherwise wouldn’t be aware of, Evelyn said. Small examples included helping people access queer-friendly hair removal services, or offering clothes for people to try on and keep to see what they felt like their true self in them.
Iris said it was a space where youth could share their experiences to help others.
“Q Youth is a place that they feel like they can be their true self without any judgment. Often the only place they can do that.”
The group has a Givealittle page to raise money, and is looking at holding a garage sale during an upcoming open day for Top of the South Pride. It is also encouraging people to sign up as payroll givers.
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack is among those fighting to keep Q Youth open. She called on the public to dig deep to support the organisation through the cashflow crisis.
“We need the community to come on board and stump up with some donations.”
The young rainbow community had high incidences of mental health and suicide, so services like Q Youth were vital, she said.
“Literally help keep young people alive, it is that serious.”
Q Youth offered a safe, non-judgmental space for young people to go, Boyack said.
“To be able to just go somewhere calm and quiet and safe is just so important for what is a really vulnerable group of young people.”
It was important that local groups like Q Youth were able to stay open, as they offered a physical space for people to go and meet their peers, she said. While it was a tough time for many families and businesses, she hoped the community would wrap around Q Youth to keep it open.