Monika Veliz does not mince words, especially when the fate of Margie’s Hope – the trans support nonprofit organization for which she serves as board president – is on the line.
“We’re broke,” Veliz told The Buckeye Flame. “But we’re determined.”
Margie’s Hope was founded in 2011, and Veliz joined the Board in 2021 after spending years as an artist and entrepreneur. When looking at the array of other LGBTQ+ organizations in Ohio, Veliz describes Margie’s Hope as the “meat and potatoes” of the support landscape for trans Ohioans in Northeast Ohio.
“We don’t do the big, splashy things like job fairs or health and wellness fairs,” Veliz said. “But we are home: the place where people can just chill, relax, vent and find safety.”
The main space where that feeling of home comes together for Margie’s Hope is Margie’s Closet: a clothing resale shop on 117th street on the Cleveland/Lakewood border. Hundreds of trans, nonbinary and gender-expansive individuals travel there each year from miles around to try on clothes while being their authentic selves.
“People will drive further than you would believe just to find a space that is actually trans-affirming and safe,” said Veliz.
The rent on Margie’s Closet is also the main expense of the organization, almost entirely so. The staffing of the shop falls exclusively on Veliz’s shoulders.
“I’m just doing what needs to be done,” Veliz said. “But at the end of the day, I’m responsible for running the shop and being a community mother and also running this organization in an executive manner.”
Veliz said the organization has not paid rent since April, leaving them currently more than $6,000 behind heading into July. She is quick to praise the building owners, who also run Lee Dry Cleaners next door.
“The Lees and their property manager have been so graceful, supportive and have made a lot of concessions so we can stay there,” Veliz said. “But they’re also a small business who has to pay their own mortgage at the end of the day.
Veliz has applied for various grants over the years, but although they have received supporting funds in the past – chiefly from the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, the Cleveland Foundation, Stonewall Sports and the Cavaliers – no current grants are supporting the organization.
“It’s dire,” Veliz said. “I’m sort of at my wit’s end with how to stretch spaghetti, as my mother used to say.”
As a last ditch effort to keep the doors open, Veliz launched a crowdsource funding campaign on Friday. The goal is to raise $60,000, which would pay off their lease until 2028 and transform the space into more of a transgender community center providing programming and resources, which might then open up other avenues of philanthropic support.
“The funding from this campaign will give us a runway to breathe and live our purpose even more than we are currently doing,” Veliz said.
In order to reach that goal, Veliz is asking for everyone to step up to support Margie’s Hope, including other LGBTQ+ organizations. She urged that when other LGBTQ+ organizations are applying for grants, that they write in a portion of the grant to serve efforts like Margie’s Hope that are trans-serving and trans-led.
“It would just be helpful if LGBTQ+ branded organizations looked out for us a little more so that we can survive what is happening to us,” Veliz said. “Trans people have housing, food, mental health and healthcare needs, and they are going to turn to trans-centered organizations first, so we have to stay open.”
In the first few days of the campaign, more than two dozen donations have been made, amounting to a little less than 3% of the target goal. Veliz knows the campaign has a long way to go, but she is nothing if not determined.
“If I have to stand on a corner with a lemonade stand to make sure that my community has something that they can call their own, that’s what I’m gonna do,” she said. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- The fundraiser to “Keep Margie’s Closet Open for Trans Support and Safety” can be found by clicking here.
- To learn more about Margie’s Hope, visit their website by clicking here.
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