When the LGBTQ+ resource center Encircle announced it was opening a location in Heber, Jim Judd and his kids were involved from the start.
“The whole idea behind the Encircle program was just such a lifesaving, game-changing event for our kids,” he said.
His youngest came out in middle school, and the family would make the long drive to Encircle Provo at least once a week to find support and community.
Once the Heber home opened in 2023, Judd’s kids were there almost every day.
“Life is complex for a kid navigating the LGBT world, and there’s not a lot of places – school can be tough, church can be tough, neighborhoods can be tough,” Judd said. “The Encircle home was just this place, a gathering place.”
The home offered therapy, game nights, community meals, programs for parents and drop-in hours. Along with Provo, Encircle also has locations in Salt Lake City, Ogden and St. George.
Encircle announced at the beginning of July that, “while need exists,” it’s closing the Heber home July 31 because of low attendance and engagement.
The decision has devastated some community members.
Cherry Jones is a longtime volunteer at Encircle. He said that apart from the high school’s gay-straight alliance, there were no other resources for queer kids in the Heber Valley.
“These kiddos literally don’t even have a safe space,” he said. “Yeah, the GSA exists, but that’s only during the school year, and only when it’s club meeting time, while what they really need is a safe space to go throughout the day or after school.”
Jones said they felt betrayed by Encircle’s decision to close the home.
Janessa Judd, one of Jim Judd’s adult children, said although Heber might see fewer visitors than locations like Provo or Salt Lake City, Encircle was still a lifeline for many kids. Janessa Judd experienced how hard it can be to grow up queer in Wasatch County, and they said things are worse for their younger brother and his friends.
“Whether it’s a kid yelling slurs at them or threatening or, like, in the parking lot, swerving their cars – I don’t know if they’re actually trying or just pretending – to hit them, it’s pretty rough for all of them,” they said.
They are fundraising to create a new safe space in the valley. Their goal is eventually to secure a physical space, but in the meantime, they’re working on other programming.
Kelleen Potter was Heber City’s mayor when Encircle announced plans for the home in 2020. She also raised two LGBTQ+ children and said before Encircle, there were no resources in the community.
“I’d known too many kids who struggled,” she said. “I’d been to too many funerals and just knew that we needed some support and help in this valley for these sweet kids who didn’t have the acceptance, and people didn’t have the understanding to know how to help them.”
Research from the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ suicide prevention organization, shows over 40% of young queer Utahns seriously considered suicide in 2024. About half of those surveyed said home was an affirming space.
Potter said for kids who didn’t find acceptance at home, Encircle provided hope and positive role models. At the Heber house, guests could see pictures on the walls of successful queer people to look up to, like Elton John and Laverne Cox.
Jim Judd called the Heber home’s closure a significant loss.
“I couldn’t imagine our journey without Encircle,” he said. “To hear that that no longer will be a place for kids and families – it’s devastating. It really is heartbreaking.”
Encircle Heber bid farewell to the community with a “goodbye gathering” July 31.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. LGBTQ+ young people can get crisis support from the Trevor Project by texting 678-678.
