Indiana Youth Group

Indiana Youth Group creates safer spaces, fosters community, and delivers life-affirming programming that empowers LGBTQ+ youth and young adults across the state of Indiana. Founded in 1987 by Chris Gonzalez and Jeff Werner as informal gatherings in an Indianapolis living room, the agency has grown into the oldest continuously operating organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in North America. Today, the organization operates as a premier statewide institution providing drop-in centers, critical housing interventions, mental health counseling, and leadership opportunities that help young people thrive.

The organization's headquarters and drop-in center on North Meridian Street in Indianapolis serves as a welcoming hub for youth ages 12 to 24. Designed to meet immediate survival needs, the center provides free access to an on-site food pantry, hot meals, showers, laundry facilities, a clothing boutique, hygiene supplies, and public transit passes. Quiet study spaces, recreational areas, and computer workstations enable participants to complete school assignments, relax with friends, and search for employment in an affirming atmosphere. Case managers partner with youth experiencing homelessness or domestic displacement to provide rapid rehousing support, rental assistance, and life skills coaching, establishing durable pathways toward permanent, independent housing.

Mental wellness and health services are integrated directly into daily center activities. Licensed clinicians provide free, affirmative individual counseling, trauma-informed care, and crisis de-escalation for youth navigating depression, anxiety, family rejection, or bullying. Weekly peer support and discussion groups offer guided spaces for transgender and nonbinary youth, young queer people of color, and questioning adolescents to share experiences, build coping strategies, and develop self-worth. Family support programming provides parent education and caregiver discussion cohorts that help families navigate coming-out processes and strengthen supportive home environments. In partnership with local healthcare providers, the center offers free, confidential HIV and STI testing, prevention counseling, and comprehensive sexual health education.

Education and advocacy programming extends the organization's impact throughout Indiana schools and civic institutions. The agency coordinates the Indiana GSA Network, providing professional development, educational toolkits, and statewide summit gatherings for student-led gender and sexuality alliances in middle schools and high schools. Program specialists conduct educator workshops and youth leadership retreats that build supportive, affirming school climates across rural, suburban, and urban school districts. Regional programming hubs in cities such as Columbus, Crawfordsville, Evansville, and Northwest Indiana ensure youth outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area receive local peer connections, discussion groups, and supportive adult mentorship.

Young people can access services by visiting the drop-in center during open hours, connecting via phone, or submitting an online contact request. Direct service staff guide youth through intake without requiring fees or formal insurance. Community supporters can get involved by hosting supply drives for the food and hygiene pantry, volunteering at social outings and pride celebrations, or making tax-deductible financial contributions online to sustain vital statewide youth services.