The executive director of the COLOURS Organization is refuting rumors that the nonprofit will close its doors after 27 years of service due to a lack of federal funding.
Allegations surfaced on social media last week that the organization lost its primary funding from the Philadelphia Department of Health. But they’re not true, said Damon Humes, executive director.
“I received many calls from all executive directors within the community expressing their concern,” Humes said. “Although we’ve faced challenges, COLOURS’ funding remains intact.”
The COLOURS Organization provides community-building programs and HIV/AIDS-related services to black, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Founded in 1991, the organization is 90-percent funded by the city’s Health Department, with additional support from Philadelphia FIGHT, Philly AIDS Thrift and local community establishments such as Woody’s Bar.
Humes said that rumors started surfacing in April that COLOURS was facing a shutdown due to inadequate funding. The Health Department also refuted the allegations.
“We’re aware of the rumors. We are not planning any change that would make them true,” said James Garrow, the city’s director of digital public health. “We continue to fund COLOURS to provide access to HIV testing, linkage to HIV medical care and referrals and support for individuals seeking PrEP.”
Humes said the false information isn’t going to slow down COLOURS’ current efforts to rebuild the organization’s image after years of challenges and changes. The rebranding includes a community-promise initiative, in which where members of the community interact directly with COLOURS staff to provide feedback about their HIV testing experiences. COLOURS is also focusing more on community input by hosting public monthly advisory-board meetings.
“We need to be as transparent as possible as an organization about the challenges we face,” Humes said. “If not, we continue to operate in a vacuum and we don’t need that anymore.”