Ruth Ellis Center

The Ruth Ellis Center is one of the country's few social-service agencies dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth, named for Detroit's beloved Black lesbian elder Ruth Ellis (1899-2000). Founded in 1999, it provides supportive housing, health and wellness services and drop-in programming for young people — the large majority of them youth of color — across several Detroit and Highland Park facilities, including the flagship Ruth Ellis Clairmount Center. It stands as a cornerstone of Detroit's queer community infrastructure.