RIVERSIDE, CA – In commemoration of Pride Month, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis visited TruEvolution’s Project Legacy on Friday, June 17, becoming the first statewide constitutional officer to tour this historic Homekey Site that will provide wraparound services for LGBTQ+ and HIV+ youth. She highlighted the importance of creating safe, inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ Californians and lifted up Project Legacy as a statewide model. 

“Pride Month is about celebrating the benchmarks the LGBTQ community has surpassed, but also recognizing those we have yet to overcome like ensuring we bring our homeless youth off the streets and into supportive housing,” said Gabriel Maldonado, CEO of TruEvolution. “During Pride Month, we appreciate officials like Lt. Governor Kounalakis for showing up and showing support. We look forward to continuing to work with her and other California leaders to bring attention to our work in support of those who need it most.”

The Lt. Governor tours one of Project Legacy’s main buildings.

Local leaders showed up for this special Pride Month tour including Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, Riverside Councilmembers Erin Edwards and Gaby Plascencia, Redlands Councilmember Denise Davis, and Equality California Advisory Board Members Herb Schultz and Jesse Melgar.

TruEvolution organized this special Pride Month visit for the Lt. Governor and several openly LGBTQ+ Inland Empire officials and allies including Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, Riverside Councilmembers Erin Edwards and Gaby Plascencia, Redlands Councilmember Denise Davis, and Equality California Advisory Board Members Herb Schultz and Jesse Melgar.

“Project Legacy is the first Project Homekey Site that will serve predominantly LGBTQ+ people,” said Lt. Governor Kounalakis. “It was inspiring to learn about their vision for advancing health equity and racial justice by providing healthcare, job training, and housing for youth, seniors, and people living with HIV.”

In addition to the Transitional Housing Program, Project Legacy will provide extensive wraparound programs and services to clients to prepare them not only for graduation into permanent housing, but also provide self-sustaining tools for retention. This includes:

• Primary and Specialty Healthcare and Prevention, including Use of Telehealth;
• Bilingual Behavioral Health;
• Workforce and Job Training;
• Harm Reduction Services; and
• Fitness, Nutrition, and Wellness.



Based on Brockton Avenue in the Downtown area of the City of Riverside, Project Legacy is a historic public-private partnership between TruEvolution and the Housing Authority of the County of Riverside, and is the only Homekey Initiative in California dedicated to primarily serving the extraordinary needs of vulnerable LGBTQ+ populations. In addition, 20% of the individuals served will be reserved for clients that do not identify as LGBTQ+.

TruEvolution is an experienced and mission-driven community-based organization (CBO) that has served clients in the Inland Empire since 2007. Led since its founding by CEO Gabriel Maldonado, TruEvolution’s mission is to fight for health equity and racial justice to advance the quality of life and human dignity of LGBTQ+ people. Our vision is to become a Center of Excellence in addressing social determinants of health to facilitate a major reduction in health disparities and achieve health equity.