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Howard Brown Health Center Keeping Doors Open

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Howard Brown Health Center - a fixture in Chicago's gay community for more than 30 years - was on the verge of closing its doors after the first of the year because of financial problems.

Now, Howard Brown is expected to stay open.

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It was the first week in November when Howard Brown CEO Jamal Edwards said the clinic would have to close down if it didn't raise half a million dollars by late December.

And now?

"It's looking very likely that our doors will remain open for the foreseeable future," Edwards said. "The community's been incredibly supportive. We're over 85 percent of our goal and we're thrilled."

Edwards says that doesn't mean Howard Brown Health Center is out of the woods.

The money being raised now is just to keep the clinic operating day-to-day.

Edwards says Howard Brown still has debt - including $3 million it owes to creditors like the federal government and subcontractors like Northwestern.

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