Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance, said the trans-led LGBTQ+ organization is “not quite out of the woods,” but on a path toward stability after its first year under her leadership.
Since taking over as CEO in May 2023, Parker has worked to rebuild trust with the community following a period of alleged financial mismanagement at the organization. At the same time, Parker has helped Brave Space Alliance (BSA) grow its offerings and better support its staff in serving LGBTQ+ people.
“We see the clearing and are steadily moving toward a path of stability,” Parker told Windy City Times. “There is a peace in the organization that we have not had in quite some time.”
Parker, a longtime activist and former BSA board chair, began as CEO May 1, 2023 after its former leader and the organization’s founder, LaSaia Wade, was fired following an independent audit that suggested she had improperly diverted organizational funds. Wade said at the time she used the money to help people in need.
Rebuilding trust with funders has been one of Parker’s priorities, she said. She’s assembled a team of experts to have financial oversight of the organization and scheduled regular check-ins.
“Brave Space Alliance was responsive, yes,” Parker said. “But amidst all of that, folks forgot to put in infrastructure. But now we have infrastructure that leads us to sustainability for the future.”
In making these changes, BSA has retained nearly all of its key funders, Parker said.
She also led BSA in a new partnership with University of Chicago Medicine to create an in-house clinic people can visit for essential needs, HIV testing, high blood pressure screenings and more.
The organization has also sustained many of its preexisting services, like its food pantry, support groups for transgender people, and the Dignity Suite, which offers gender-affirming clothing articles.
“It’s been such a highlight seeing these programs continue,” Parker said. “The fact that we have so many community members who still rely on Brave Space and see us as a safe place to be in.”
Another milestone under Channyn’s leadership was negotiating a first contract with its union, which formed in March 2022.
The agreement, which continues through 2025, gives annual wage increases and other benefits, Parker said.
“For us to secure that contract within the landscape of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ nonprofits, that means a lot to me,” Parker said. “We have a happy, healthy and active union, which has really been good.”
Parker has also been focused on supporting workers through professional development, making sure they are trained to excel in their jobs. The organization has always excelled at being boots-on-the-ground, but now its staff is better equipped to handle administrative tasks, Parker said.
“There’s an importance to emails, data collection and all of the unsexy parts of serving your community,” Parker said. “To see them understanding the value in those things and honing those administrative skill sets is a joy because it will take them to their next level, whether that’s here at Brave Space or somewhere else.”
One challenge BSA is still facing is a lack of space for its growing services, Parker said. The organization’s headquarters at 1515 E. 52nd Place were not built to accommodate a community center, and more people are relying on BSA for services as they flee other states or countries to Chicago in hopes for a safe haven.
“But we’re running out of space to serve folks,” Parker said. “There are mornings when we have long lines of folks waiting for bus cards, resources or the food pantry. We have limited space and limited funding, but we’re not lacking in the amount of people who rely on us.”
Throughout the next year, Parker plans to continue raising money to expand BSA physically and in terms of its offerings, she said. She also wants to get the organization more involved in advocacy.
“So my goal for this next year is to deepen what we do well, which is in the areas of food, housing resources, clothing support, holistic health,” Parker said. “But we have roots in advocacy, and I want Brave Space Alliance to raise its voice in service of individuals through that.”