More Trouble For GMHC

Last month the NYC-based Gay Men's Health Crisis was in the news after executive director Marjorie Hill stepped down amid accusations of mismanagement. Today we learn that GMHC is breaking the lease on its fairly new headquarters and is on the hunt for a less expensive location. Matthew Katz reports at DNA Info:

GMHC, which sources said spent millions to move into new offices on West 33rd Street in 2011, has begun to work with Studley, a real estate firm that represents tenants, in the hopes of finding a cheaper space, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. “The board of directors believes that we can find a space that better suits the needs of the ever-progressing GMHC and its client services than where we're currently housed," said board chair Mickey Rolfe in a statement. "We don't have more info to share today.” Insiders said the organization's board is considering a move within the next two years, meaning the agency would break its eight-year lease with Broadway Partners, the owner of the 446 W. 33rd St. building, which is set to end in 2018. "This office was never a good idea," said one GMHC insider who asked to remain anonymous. "We can't provide basic services — we've had to cut services to pay for this thing."

The selection of the sprawling 165,000sf current location was criticized because the lease bars GMHC from providing medical services on the premises, forcing them to also rent a second location several blocks away.  GMHC reported a six-figure loss in 2012, which brought layoffs and furloughs for the remaining staffers.