Compass' mission is to engage, empower and enrich the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS.
Compass will be a collaborative leader in creating a safe, healthy, inclusive, equitable, and affirming community for all LGBTQ people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS.
We will engage the individual and collective strengths of our community and its allies to promote and develop leadership, unity and pride.
We will connect the community through diverse communications, vibrant programs, essential education and resources, and creating opportunities for our community to be seen and heard.
In 1988, a local group of community-centered men and women joined our nation’s efforts to educate the public about the spread of HIV by starting the Stop AIDS Project of South Florida, Inc.
With federal funding and strategic grassroots organizing, friends, families and co-workers opened their homes and businesses and facilitated meetings to identify those living with HIV, and to equip the larger community with knowledge and skills necessary to protect themselves from contracting the virus.
As the Stop AIDS program grew over the following four years, the board of directors – along with volunteers – recognized the role that stigma, bias and discrimination played in the transmission of HIV and identified a critical need to provide a safe space for youth and adults who were struggling with issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
With private contributions and local funding from the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, that group of volunteers established Compass as the gay and lesbian community center of Palm Beach County in 1992.