Ground is broken
for retirement home in Hollywood

Activists, celebrities, and the new mayor of Los Angeles were on hand in Hollywood on Thursday to break ground on the nation's first affordable housing development for gay seniors. The $20 million Encore Hall is designed to accommodate low-income seniors in 104 rental units and will feature a swimming pool and 3,000 square feet of public space. Queer as Folk actor Hal Sparks provided introductions, and costar Robert Gant described his own fears about aging, highlighting and the need for such a facility to provide elder care free of discrimination. Brian Neimark, founder and executive director of Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing, praised the diverse group of officials who helped bring the project to fruition, including city councilman Eric Garcetti and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The mayor, who two days earlier signed a resolution supporting same-sex marriage in California, pointed out the significance within Encore Hall's name: "That means 'we want more,' "

In addition to housing, Encore Hall will provide recreational, supportive, and social services and staff to assist residents with laundry, meals, and access to transportation. Expected to open in 2006, it's part of a burgeoning movement of retirement communities for senior gay Americans. Others, however, are for-profit developments, generally for more affluent retirees. Jack Reauley, 82, and his partner, Bob Claunsh, 80, say they would consider living in the facility as a way to be around people who understand their lifestyles and because of the location. "It's just a matter of living with other people that you know and live like," says Claunsh, who has been with Reauley since they met in the Army 54 years ago. Older people are often more discriminatory toward homosexuals than the younger generation, he says. Gerard Koskovich, an outreach liaison for the American Society on Aging's Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network, says Encore Hall will be the first nonprofit facility of its kind in the nation. As far back as 1956 there were articles in gay magazines about the need for nonprofit housing for gay seniors, according to Koskovich, a historian. "It's taken 50 years for the social mores to change and for the community to reach a critical mass to start such projects," he says. Neimark says the residence will allow gay seniors to live in a safe environment as they increasingly depend on outside care: "What has had to happen for many older adults is that they've had to go back into the closet to get the care they need. This would be an environment of tolerance and acceptance." The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's policy institute estimates that there are at least 1 million gays 65 and older living in the United States. Neimark says Encore Hall will not discriminate against heterosexuals. "We will not turn someone away," he says. "All that will happen is that we have a policy of tolerance, so at our dances you're going to see same-sex couples dancing together." Rent will be charged on a sliding scale. The residence will be built with a combination of public and private funds, including a grant from the Annenberg Foundation. In San Francisco the nonprofit Open House is planning a similar affordable housing project. (Neal Broverman for Advocate.com, AP)