Out On The Shelf (OOTS) is stepping up to try and fill some of the gaps left behind after ARCH Guelph’s closure last month.
ARCH closed due to funding being withdrawn. It served the Guelph community for 35 years by providing care, treatment and prevention services for those living and at risk of HIV and AIDS.
OOTS has been around in Guelph since 2005. It's a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization serving the LGBTQ+ community. It houses a queer library, resource centre and most notably organizes Guelph Pride celebrations.
A few weeks ago OOTS released a public statement about the closure. In the statement it said OOTS has made an agreement with ARCH and the Yott family that the Marley Yott Fund will be housed at OOTS. The fund was previously with ARCH. It was an emergency fund for transgender and HIV positive people in need. It was named in honour of Marley Yott, a leader in the LGBTQ+ community who passed away in 2020.
Barry Moore is the chair of the OOTS board and worked at ARCH up until the closure. He’s met with the Yott family and is working with them to determine how best the funding can be used to honour Yott’s memory.
OOTS reached out to the Guelph Community Health Centre (Guelph CHC) and AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA) to collaborate since these organizations will provide clinical and practical support ARCH previously gave.
OOTS has hit the ground running and is hosting a trans-peer drop-in. It runs online through Zoom on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Former ARCH staff are volunteering their time to facilitate the drop-in.
Moore would like OOTS to receive more funding so it can create paid positions and have more programming. Things like updated resources in the OOTS library, and educational resources are also top of mind.
“It's not about OOTS trying to get money. It's about trying to get money into Guelph for our community, that goes towards supporting our queer community members,” said Moore.
An Instagram page was set up last week called thankyouarch. It aims to raise money for former ARCH staff through the Together in thanks: ARCH Fundraiser. So far it has raised $450 of its $20,000 goal on GoFundMe.
Not only is it a fundraiser but a celebration of ARCH. The event is set for May 17 at the Art Gallery of Guelph from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
It will feature art and bake sales, drag performances, and educational resources. The event is being put on by a small group of community members “who are not only saddened and concerned by ARCH’s closure, but also want to celebrate and thank ARCH and all its staff for everything they’ve done for our community,” said in an Instagram post.
Moore was pleasantly surprised to hear about the celebration. It’s very much appreciated and great to see the community stepping up, he said.
When ARCH was winding down to close up shop Moore wished the community saw how much effort the ARCH team was putting in to make sure services and programming would still continue even if it was provided by a different organization.
“We were all facing the reality that we were losing our jobs at the end of the month, but all we really cared about was, how are these programs going to get taken care of,” said Moore.
With ARCH’s closure it’s a shift to where services and programming are available since ARCH was such a big part of the community.
“I feel like the community is still grieving the loss,” said Moore. Not many questions have popped up from people wondering how OOTS will step up mainly because they are still mourning the loss of ARCH.
Moore suspects people will come with questions and ideas during Pride month.
The two major public-facing LGBTQ+ organizations OOTS and Guelph Pride don’t take its position lightly. OOTS recognizes with ARCH’s closure people are wondering what’s next because they look to the organization “as a leader in providing queer services in the community,” said Moore.
OOTS has plans in the works and is eventually going to set up a tribute to ARCH at the library.
Moore is looking forward to ARCH having a proper send-off at the fundraising event.
