Hudson Pride Connections Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community-based organization situated in the Journal Square neighborhood in Jersey City, one of the most vibrant and diverse cities in this country and home to the largest LGBTQ community in New Jersey.  Hudson Pride was established in 1993 to serve as an advocate for both the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities in Hudson County and more than 20 years later, we are still delivering a wide array of services, programs, and events to meet their on-going needs.  Such programs and services include:

• social/educational groups for LGBTQ youth and LGBTQ seniors
• specialized support groups for transgender individuals, HIV+ gay/bisexual men and HIV+ women of color (of any sexual orientation)
• linkage to HIV care services for HIV-infected men who have sex with men, transgender women and women of color who have fallen out of HIV medical care or have never accessed such care
• HIV adherence counseling for HIV+men who have sex with men, transgender women and women of color
• PrEP counseling for HIV(-) gay/bisexual men and transgender women
• LGBTQ health education focusing on issues related to HIV/STI prevention and care, alcohol and drug prevention, intimate partner violence, minority stress, and health disparities,
• LGBTQ-focused community programming and events, such as delivering student-targeted HS and college presentations, hosting our annual LGBTQ youth prom and tabling at local cultural festivals
• LGBTQ service referrals, mentoring, and career development

Hudson Pride is dedicated to improving not only individual lives but also the communities we serve each day through our advocacy efforts and on-going commitment to social and economic justice.  We provide professional training and education to facilitate changes in attitudes and behaviors among service providers throughout the region who work with members of the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities.  We assist governmental entities in conducting local needs assessments to better identify existing gaps in care that LGBTQ individuals may be experiencing through unintentional, yet still pervasive, community marginalization.  We serve as the fiscal conduit for Jersey City Pride, enabling its organizers to hold this important festival that has been bringing our community together each year to socialize, remember our history, embrace our present and ensure our future. We routinely mobilize our volunteer and client base in response to calls for action on important social issues such as transgender rights, LGBT non-discrimination legislation, and HIV funding. And lastly, all our client services are provided for free as we know that gaining access to care and support should not depend upon one’s ability to pay but rather on need and opportunity.  We would, therefore, welcome all who visit our webpage to consider donating to our Center so that we can continue to meet our clients’ needs as well as expand our programming so as to address any new challenges our clients may one day face.