Nearly a year after its grand opening on Sept. 21, 2024, the Whittier LGBTQ+ Center has served more than 1,000 people, exceeding expectation of many of its high-profile backers, leaders say.

Damonté Watson,  director of Integrated Healthcare for the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the agency that operates the Whittier LGBTQ+ Center, said the biggest accomplishment the center had in its first year was seeing so many people come in for services.

“We are very proud of that,” Watson told the Southern California News Group. “There was a light fear of how many people who identify are in this local area who can really benefit from what the center offers … . It’s very affirming to know that the vision that Ivan Sulic and Supervisor Janice Hahn saw in putting an LGBT center here i

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