STRUTHERS — While young LGBTQ people can read about coming out online and find comfort, confidence and knowledge in stories that demonstrate they aren’t alone, transitioning from self-identification and reflection to conversations “in real life” with the people in their day-to-day lives can be as daunting as it ever was.

However, a center that opened in May in Struthers is striving to provide support to LGBTQ youth in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties in Ohio, and in Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania.

While still small enough to have a limited presence in the five counties, its volunteers are offering such a widespread service area because other organizations offering that support don’t exist.

And at a time when LGBTQ youth are more likely to be bullied, more likely to have depression and more likely to commit suicide, an organization to help young people gain inclusivity, to find a voice and identify strategies for coming out is as important as ever, said Daniel Tirabassi, director of client care at Full Spectrum Community Outreach, 5060 Youngstown Poland Road, Struthers.

“There really wasn’t anything in the area for LGBTQ people, especially youth, to get resources or come together or you know, learn about LGBTQ culture. Everything they have access to, to learn from, was all basically only online,” Tirabassi said. “And the founders, and the board now, feel that personal connections are very important in social development. And, the easiest way to do that is to have a central location for people to come and gather and get to know each other and work toward a greater good.”

Sometimes, a young person attempts to express their feelings about sexuality and gender to others, but it falls on deaf ears and teens and young adults can struggle with how to proceed afterward.

“A lot of times they are just here to learn their voice and learn they can tell adults who they are and what they need and there are people out there who will help them if the adults in their life won’t listen to them,” Tirabassi said. “Sometimes they don’t realize it is a process, not just one conversation.”

Reaching LGBTQ youth to offer one-on-one and group assistance on their journeys isn’t the only goal of the center.

The all-volunteer staff is also available to workplaces, schools and other organizations that want to ensure its policies are inclusive of LGBTQ people. As young LGBTQ people are starting to voice their understandings of their own sexuality and gender at younger ages, school administrations, businesses and other institutions that interact with young people want to know how to respect them and promote inclusiveness, Tirabassi said.

Sometimes the adult a young person feels comfortable reaching out to about how they are treated at home or at school, or who want advice about coming out, like a teacher or counselor, doesn’t have much experience with the LGBTQ community, but they can reach out to Full Spectrum for advice on how to help, to become a “bridge,” Tirabassi said.

“If a young person gets bad advice, it can cause a lot of harm,” Tirabassi said. “To come out is a unique situation for each person, but the main thing is they need support. So try to be there if you are asked to be there, keep an open mind and field the questions their parents may have.”

Parents also can call the center for help to see if they are handling a situation at home properly, Tirabassi said. Older LGBTQ people are also welcome to find community at the center, not just teens.

Full Spectrum, founded in 2016 by three people, “basically out of their cars” until the location on Youngstown Poland Road opened, offers support groups specifically for teens, and support groups for parents of teens who identify at LGBTQ, along with groups focusing on gender or sexuality.

While the term gender refers to how a person identifies themselves — as male, female or something else, sexuality is about what type of person one is attracted to — describing if they are gay, straight, bi-sexual or something else.

Someone who questions their gender identity may want to explore dressing differently or have questions about how to do so in a way that suits their comfort level, and the center can help there too. There are binders, wigs, make-up, razors, clothing and many other items at the center.

There is information about how to explore transgender health care, Tirabassi said.

“There is basically no option for transgender health care in the immediate area, so learning how to navigate where to go and what questions to ask can be really helpful,” Tirabassi said.

And, the center offers a shower, a food pantry, toiletries, a hot meal, resume help, free wifi and someone to talk to whenever it is open, or by appointment.

Donations for supplies are much welcomed, as well as financial donations, Tirabassi said. They need winter coats right now.

Unless the center can raise more money, one of the central visions may not be realized.

While some young people find love and acceptance when they come out to their parents, others are disowned and disenfranchised, “by the people who are supposed to love them unconditionally,” Tirabassi said.

Full Spectrum isn’t yet set up in a way where the center can allow people to sleep over when they have nowhere else to go. While there are missions who have beds for people, there are often reasons why someone may not feel safe going to the mission, not just LGBTQ people, Tirabassi said.

However, obtaining enough funding, not just to offer the shelter, but to ensure teens can still be shuttled to their schools, or young adults can keep a job, is a problem the center hopes to solve with help.

Full Spectrum needs more community partnerships and sponsorships, more companies, organizations and churches to contribute to the effort, Tirabassi said, because the area’s economic difficulties trickles down to charities in the form of fewer donations.

“It is human nature to fear the unknown, but when a teen is put out on the streets with no place to go, no protection, worrying about their next meal, we want to be there for them,” Tirabassi said. “No one should be left out in the cold.”

Donate, find events and more information at www.fullspectrumcommunityoutreach.org.

rfox@tribtoday.com