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A drop-in center where at-risk LGBT youth of Monmouth County can forge a sense of community without risk of judgement is set to host a grand opening celebration in Asbury Park Thursday, Jan. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend.

Project Real Empowerment on All Levels [REAL] will provide a safe place at 805 Fourth Avenue where area youths can build their network and receive HIV and AIDS prevention programs and information, according to Shannon Preston, a manager at the Prevention Resource Network [PRN].

From what her employees tell her, Preston gets the impression that the Asbury Park youth community is accepting and friendly with their Gay-Straight Alliance, and members of the Asbury Park High School GSA are expected to attend the event.

“Support is becoming greater [for the LGBT population] in the high schools now that kids are identifying,” she said. “The kids are comfortable and free and willing to come out, although stigmas still exist.”

Project REAL will offer drop- in hours four days a week. Preston and her staff are also setting up a calendar of events that include movie and game nights, TV nights and nights for the youths to come together and just hang out. A wireless internet connection is available in the space along with a few computers.

For now, the program will serve Monmouth County residents in the 13-24 age range, which claims the highest incidence of HIV cases, according to Preston, who has 18 years of experience working in the health care industry in Asbury Park. As the program starts to build the age range will open up, she said.

Volunteers have already offered their time to conduct cooking and self-defense classes in the space, which was formally a Real Elite fitness location.

Preston said she is open to hear from anyone who has a great idea for the space.

“I think this is a great blank slate for us to work with,” she said.

The PRN is a program of the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, Inc., [VNACJ] and is funded by a grant from the Department of HIV, STD and TB Services.

The goal of PRN is to assist HIV negative persons and Persons Living with HIV/AIDS who are at high risk for HIV transmission or acquisition to reduce risk behaviors and address psychosocial and medical needs to improve overall health outcomes.

Drop-in hours for the center starting Monday, Jan 13 are as follows: Mondays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 9 p.m.; and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. The hours are subject to change. For more information, visit Project REALs Facebook page.

[Project REAL Tillie logo shown above taken from their Facebook Page.]

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