One of the oldest and biggest nonprofit organizations in Tennessee that supports the LGBTQ+ community is expanding operations in Midtown Memphis.
OUTMemphis is set to construct a new 11,000 square foot regional headquarters at 340 N. Cleveland St., just south of Crosstown Concourse. The move will consolidate area staff and streamline operations so the group can meet what it said is a 300% increase in service requests over the last five years.
“In a time when our very existence is being challenged, the South needs leaders — and OUTMemphis is ready to build a permanent regional home for the community,” said Lacretia Carroll, board co-chair in an April statement. “This center will strengthen our ability to serve people across the Mid-South and ensure
our community has the stability and support it deserves.”
OUTMemphis was founded in 1989 as a volunteer-led organization, and in 2008, expanded by acquiring its first permanent location on Cooper Street. In just the last five years, the group has grown from eight full-time employees to 23, and opened its Youth Empowerment Center among other advances.
A wide range of services are available to LGBTQ+ adults and youth, including housing assistance, food assistance, mental health services and other wellness services, community-led gatherings and much more.
In an April statement, OUTMemphis outlined that the new facility would include a food pantry and kitchen, a communal meal facility, as well as "expand capacity for community gatherings, counseling and case management, HIV care and prevention, support groups, and the organization’s comprehensive housing and financial navigation offerings."
“We’ve spent decades meeting our community wherever we could — basements, bungalows and borrowed spaces,” said Molly Quinn, CEO of OUTMemphis in the statement. “But the need has grown far beyond what those spaces can hold. This new home will allow us to expand services, increase safety and ensure LGBTQ+ people across the Mid-South always have a place where they belong.”
The $12 million project required about $3 million in additional funding as of April 2026. An opening date has not been set.
Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering Dining, Retail and Real Estate in the Memphis area. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What's that coming to Cleveland St. and Peach Ave. near Crosstown Concourse?
