“We decided not to renew our lease at our physical space,” says Joe Halsch. “We had to figure out what it meant for the next chapter of the Jim Toy Community Center.”

After sixteen years in Braun Court, the LGBTQ+ center closed its doors in 2021. It was one of a series of losses lamented in a March Ann Arbor News article.

Halsch understands: the space “was a lifeline for people in the community,” he says. But he says the closing was necessary due to financial strain, a lack of staffing, and the closing of surrounding businesses, especially the Aut Bar.

Read More: https://annarborobserver.com/jim-toy-center-reboots/