Support & Peer Groups

EPIC, Empath Partners in Care, provides HIV prevention, testing, treatment and support across six locations in the Tampa Bay area. It is part of Empath Health, and it serves a population that includes a large number of people who have been living with HIV for decades and are now aging with it. Services include free HIV testing and home test kits, an HIV medical home, medical case management, counseling, PrEP and TelePrEP, pharmacy services, housing assistance, food pantries and meals, support groups and financial assistance. A separate program, TOPWA, supports pregnant people living with HIV. That combination matters for older adults specifically. Long-term survivors often need case management, housing help and food support at the same time as medical care, and having them in one organization removes a lot of the coordination burden that otherwise falls on the person themselves. Phone numbers differ by county: Pinellas is (727) 328-3260 and Hillsborough is (813) 237-3066. Costs are not published in full, and financial assistance is available.

Fellowship of Older Gays, known as FOG, is a California mutual benefit corporation providing social activities, emotional support and education for older gay men. It has been running since 1993. Its own description of its purpose is plain: the primary focus is weekly activities for members. The regular calendar is Wednesday Coffee and Saturday Coffee, both 10am to noon, every week. Monthly there is Breakfast Out with Older Guys on the first Thursday, Dine Out with Guys on the third Thursday, Walk and Talk on the third Monday, and a lunch that moves around. Some events are in person and some are on Zoom. The annual membership meeting and banquet is the first Thursday in October, and the holiday potluck is the third Saturday in December. FOG also turns up at San Diego Pride and the Big Gay Picnic in Balboa Park. This is a membership club, not a care provider and not a drop-in center. It is for older gay men specifically, which is worth knowing before you point a relative at it. Membership details and current dues are on the Join or Renew page, and the board meets on the second Saturday of the month. For anyone weighing up whether a social group belongs in a directory about care: isolation is not a soft problem in later life. A standing Wednesday morning that somebody notices you missed is a practical form of support, and for an older gay man with no adult children nearby it may be the most reliable one available.

Inclusive features: Chosen-family policies

Golden Rainbows of Illinois South is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving LGBTQIA+ adults aged 50 and over, and people aging with HIV, across Southern Illinois. Its stated mission is to help that community overcome the disparities caused by a lack of equitable services available to them. That framing is accurate to the geography: most LGBTQIA+ elder services in Illinois sit in and around Chicago, several hours north. Support covers emotional and legal needs alongside health, housing, medical care, history and social engagement. Meeting times and a street address are not published. Contact the organization by phone or email to find out what is running near you.

Let's Kick ASS Palm Springs serves long-term HIV and AIDS survivors in the Coachella Valley. ASS stands for AIDS Survivor Syndrome, and the organization exists because surviving an epidemic that killed a generation of your friends leaves its own mark, one that most aging services are not set up to recognize. The work is mostly social by design. The calendar includes monthly potlucks, coffee socials twice a month, bowling afternoons, roundtable discussion groups both in person and online, museum and cultural outings, dining events, an annual Long-Term Survivors Day and a Thanksgiving feast. The organization also runs HIV education and advocacy work, and publishes a newsletter and blog. Most events are free. Bowling carries a $15 charge per person. It is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity and operates from a post office box rather than a walk-in office, so contact is by email.

LGBTQ+ Seniors of the Inland Northwest is a member-driven, supportive and affirming network for older LGBTQIA+ people and their families around Spokane, Washington. Membership is not restricted to seniors. The calendar is social rather than clinical. Regular gatherings include Taco Tuesday on the first Tuesday of each month, potlucks, and Pride events. This is a volunteer network rather than an agency, so there is no office, no phone line and no published hours. Contact is by email, and the group's own site is the place to check what is coming up.

Lower Adirondack Pride serves the LGBTQIA+ community of Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties in upstate New York, producing events, running advocacy and offering direct programs. Its services include mental health counseling, case management, advocacy and support for people who are unhoused. Case management in particular is worth knowing about for an older adult trying to navigate benefits, housing or care in a rural county with few affirming options. Nothing on the organization's site is aimed specifically at older adults, so contact them and ask. Services are free. The organization operates from a post office box in Glens Falls rather than a walk-in office, so contact is by phone or email.

Peninsula Family Service is a San Mateo nonprofit serving people from birth through later life. Its older-adult work is built around peer counseling, volunteer support and the Fair Oaks Adult Activity Center, and is aimed at health, mobility and independence rather than at care. The peer counseling program is substantial: the organization reported 58,507 service hours delivered by peer counselors in 2023. Eligibility, costs and office hours are not published. Call to ask what applies to your situation, and to confirm which programs are currently running at Fair Oaks.

Pomona Valley Pride is an LGBTQIA+ community center founded in 2019, supporting LGBTQIA2S+ and allied communities through services, programs and advocacy. It serves the greater Pomona Valley region, covering thirteen surrounding communities. The center is a physical drop-in space on West Mission Boulevard with free Wi-Fi and a library, alongside social, emotional and educational resources. Programs and many services are free. The center does not publish programming aimed specifically at older adults, so if you are looking for an elder-focused group, call first and ask what is running. Community centers of this size often host peer groups that never make it onto the website.

Rainbow Lounge is the older-adult program of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center in Kingston, New York. It is described as a relaxed meetup for LGBTQIA+ adults aged 50 and over to connect with peers. The group runs in partnership with SAGE, the national LGBTQIA+ elder organization, and its conversations cover aging, mentorship, relationships and the specific challenges facing older LGBTQIA+ people. The meeting schedule is not published on the center's site, so call or email before making the trip to Wall Street.

LAASN, the LGBTQ+ Aging and Abilities Support Network, is a program of Shanti Project in San Francisco. Shanti has worked on isolation and peer support since the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and LAASN applies that model to LGBTQIA+ older adults and people with disabilities. Peer support is the core of it. Isolation is not a soft problem in later life: it is associated with worse health outcomes, and LGBTQIA+ elders are markedly more likely than their peers to be aging without a spouse or adult children. Eligibility, hours and costs are not published on the organization's public pages. Call the main Shanti number and ask for LAASN.

Sound Alliance of Older LGBTQ+, known as SAOL and formerly SAGE Olympia, was founded in 2011 and works to promote the wellness of older LGBTQIA+ people across Thurston County, Washington. It runs two regular monthly gatherings, both at established senior centers rather than at a separate LGBTQIA+ venue. The Olympia Senior Center group meets on second Tuesdays at 11:45am, at 224 Columbia Ave NW in Olympia. The Lacey group meets at the Virgil Clarkson Senior Center on the last Tuesday of the month at 11:30am, at 6757 Pacific Ave SE in Lacey. Meals cost between $4 and $8, and a one-time form is required the first time you attend. This is a volunteer network rather than an agency, run from a post office box. Contact the founder, Anna Schlecht, by phone or post.

The LOFT is the LGBTQ+ community center serving Westchester County and the wider Hudson Valley from White Plains, New York. It runs support groups, social activities, health services and advocacy. Its older-adult programming is Silver Connections, for people 55 and over. Alongside it the center runs programming for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ communities, trans support and wellness services. Hours and costs are not published on the center's site. Call before traveling, particularly if you are coming for a specific group.

TransNetwork is a Tampa Bay community organization dedicated to uplifting and empowering transgender and gender-expansive people through advocacy, education and celebration. Its work includes the Trans March, Transtastic events, Support Space gatherings, community discussions, advocacy, a health fund run in partnership with Bell Pharmacy, and online support platforms. Nothing on the site is aimed specifically at older adults. It is listed here because trans elders are among the most isolated groups in aging, and because a health fund and a standing support space are practically useful at any age. If you are looking for elder-specific support, contact the organization and ask what exists. Services are free and the organization accepts donations. There is no published phone number or street address, so contact is by email.

West Suburban LGBTQ+ Senior Services is a program of Chicago Methodist Senior Services, serving LGBT+ older adults and allies in Chicago's western suburbs. The group meets weekly, with both in-person and virtual options, which matters more than it sounds: a virtual option is often the difference between attending and not for someone who has stopped driving. Alongside the group, CMSS runs Senior Connections, an intergenerational friendship program. Chosen family is not an abstraction for many LGBTQIA+ elders, and programs that deliberately build cross-generational connection are one of the few structured answers to that. Meeting times and costs are not published. Contact CMSS to confirm before attending.