The HST Vakola drop in center space was acquired through much lobbying with the Mumbai municipal corporation in June 1995. A family spirit prevails within the center as most gay men/ homosexual and Transgenders accessing the center stand up in times of need and work for the center without charging any money. The Humsafar Trust Drop in Centre was opened for the community on the Diwali Day in 1995 with the main trustees and few friends coming together to celebrate the moment.

The DIC was made functional through holding of Friday workshops (a community weekly meeting), this became larger every month and the medium of language was in English and Hindi. The attendance sometimes went over 50 and activities as serious as sexual health of gay men, telling your parents about your sexuality, workplace harassment, difficulties of finding partners and simple workshops on first aid, wearing condoms, hiding them in your socks during cruising were explained in great earnest by trainers like Ramesh Menon. The meetings were addressed by no less a person than the first president of INP+, Ashok Pillai and Dr. Alka Gogate, soon to be Project Director of the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS).

In addition to the Drop-in center there is a Library, which started functioning from Jan 1996. The library provides a resource center for the community to access writings and research projects pertaining to gay studies. With the first sex-mapping project the Center only continued to grow, In time, outreach staff was recruited to reach out to the community at-large, and a full-fledged administration Office was set up. Following fast on the heels of all this development came the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center (VCTC) and STI Clinic. Today Humsafar trust has one of the largest drop-in centers' with a multitude of services offered all under one roof. The Friday workshops at the center continued and continue till date with more than 200 people visiting the center every Friday. The HST center also became a space for more meetings such as "Sunday highs" and "Transgender Mondays" over a period of time while the HST continues its efforts to consolidate its services through its various programs in Mumbai city. The DIC attendant maintains a log of each and every visitor entering the precincts; he also escorts the visitor around and acquaints him with the various health services offered and the contact persons responsible.

The DIC is kept functional from 12 pm to 8pm on all weekdays and on alternate Sundays from 4 pm to 8pm. The DIC is also linked to the clinic and counseling center where visitors can access clinical and care services free of cost. HST through the center also conducts training, workshops and programs for inter and intra community members, and CBO/NGO staff.

Contact:
Girish Kumar P
The Humsafar Trust
Old BMC building, 1st Floor, Nehru Road,
Vakola, Santacruz(E), Mumbai- 400 005
Ph: (91-22) 26673800/ 26650547