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Nearly 200 affordable housing units for low-income LGBTQ+ seniors are being developed in San Francisco
Nearly 200 affordable housing units for low-income LGBTQ+ seniors are being developed in San Francisco
Nearly 200 affordable housing units for LGBTQ+ seniors are now under development in San Francisco.
The city has green-lit the construction of 187 studio and one-bedroom apartments at 1939 Market St. that will cater exclusively to low-income queer elders. The project recently received funding through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program after years of collaboration between nonprofit groups Openhouse and Mercy Housing.
Related: How community 'goodwill' helped open a new shelter for LGBTQ+ young adults in Harlem
"As folks age, incomes become restricted, the cost of living rises and so the need for affordable housing becomes even greater," Dani Soto, deputy director of Openhouse, told ABC affiliate KGO.
The building will feature several open spaces and common areas to foster connection between seniors, who frequently experience isolation. It will also offer many of the services provided by Openhouse, including resources related to health care and transportation.
To qualify, households must be at 15 percent to 60 percent of the area median Income. Sean Wils, senior project manager of Mercy Housing, said that the units are designed for those with "extremely low income, so that means that folks can be making approximately $16,000 up to $92,000 a year."
Nearly 3 million people aged 50 and over currently identify as LGBTQ+, according to a May report from SAGE National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging, a number projected to rise to around 7 million by 2030. Nearly half (45 percent) of them have reported experiencing discrimination in housing, employment, and/or health care.
Related: Ground broken for LGBTQ-focused senior housing in Pittsburgh
LGBTQ+ elders are two times more likely than others to live alone, two times more likely to not have children, and five times less likely to be married. They are also more likely to face poverty and homelessness, and to have poor physical and mental health.
"Seniors have an increase sense of isolation especially if they are no longer working, they have family and friends who are starting to pass away," said architect Roselie Enriquez Ledda. "And so, intentionally designing spaces that can help them make connection with their neighbors."
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