New BYC being readied for 2021 opening

Work continues on Howard Brown Health’s (Howard Brown) new 20,000 square-foot Broadway Youth Center (BYC) facility at 1053 W. Irving Park Rd.

BYC has spent years looking for a permanent home. After launching in Lake View, it encountered opposition from residents in various locations, ultimately settling in its longtime location at 4009 N. Broadway in 2014.

Construction on the building will be finalized in July and BYC will move in August, according to Howard Brown President and CEO David Munar.

“We’re going to be phasing in services in the months of August and September, but we’re still figuring out the timeline,” said Munar.

Howard Brown attempted a few years back to combine BYC facilities with its primary Sheridan Road location, but the logistics there also did not pan out. The new location has been in development for about four years, and will include primary-health services, among other features.

“We’re very excited,” Munar added. “It’s a permanent home for the program, and it will afford two floors of clinical services for primary-care and walk-in STI services, and two floors for social-services.”

The five-story facility will also have a dedicated floor for BYC staff, a first for the agency, and a commercial kitchen and shower facilities.

“It’s going to expand our capacity,” Munar said. “Right now, we’re serving about 2,500 young people a year, and this will raise the cap to about 4,500. In the clinic it will be even more. … Once the building opens, it will allow us to see more people and, through the service lines, we’ll be expanding the work force by about 20 positions. It’s a significant commitment to the needs of LGBTQ youth.”