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INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP RESULTS IN NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FOR LGBT SENIORS IN SAN FRANCISCO

The City of San Francisco, AF Evans Development Join openhouse to
Build First Non-Profit Facilities for the Region’s Growing LGBT Senior Population

San Francisco, CA – January 17, 2008 – A coalition of business, non-profit and government organizations have come together in an innovative partnership to build the first affordable housing facilities that are expressly welcoming to San Francisco’s LGBT seniors. openhouse, a non-profit community-based organization founded ten years ago to provide housing, services and community programs for the City’s large and growing LGBT senior population, has joined with private developer AF Evans and the Mayor’s Office on Housing (MOH) to build a new facility at the former UC Extension site at 55 Laguna.

Due to the City’s willingness to partner with openhouse, one hundred percent of the new senior facility will be housing defined as affordable according to City standards and available to individuals who are unable to access similar market-rate facilities due to the expense. The new building, which will have at least 88 units and perhaps more, will be part of a larger initiative by AF Evans, under an agreement with the University of California, to develop a new community of rental apartments on the site, publicly-accessible parks and gardens, and new retail and community services facilities. The building will also provide openhouse with a new, permanent base of operations for its services.

“Thanks to the commitment of so many wonderful people, openhouse is realizing a dream today to significantly advance our mission by building affordable senior housing for our community’s growing population of LGBT seniors,” said Neil Sims, President of the Board of Directors of openhouse. “The innovative partnership of business, government and non-profit organizations will ensure that our City’s LGBT pioneers have a welcoming, safe and secure place in which to grow old while continuing to thrive within the community they’ve always called home.”

According to research conducted by openhouse in 2004, San Francisco will have tens of thousands of LGBT seniors requiring a range of aging-related support beginning this year. LGBT seniors, even in a City as “gay friendly” as San Francisco, face a range of challenges that are unique to the community. These include a lack of traditional supports such as children and other family; lack of access to Social Security and other survivor benefits available to heterosexual couples; and institutional discrimination, among many others.

While openhouse already delivers a range of services and community programs, it is its housing initiative that will enable the organization to create a safe and vibrant environment for LGBT seniors as they age. The new facility at 55 Laguna also benefits from its proximity to the larger, diverse community envisioned for the site, the City’s LGBT Community Center on Market and, of course, the Castro District. Features of the whole development going before the City’s Planning Commission today for final review and approval include:

a. First, the entire project will be rental housing units. San Francisco is in desperate need of new rental housing stock after years of condominium and loft development, and 55 Laguna provides urgently-needed relief.
b. Second, 35% or more of the total housing available at 55 Laguna will be designated as affordable, and 100% of the openhouse facility will be designated affordable. City law requires less than half this number be designated as such, so over-delivering on this requirement is a huge win for the City.
c. Third, the project will take what is presently a fenced-off asphalt parking lot and reunite the upper and lower parts of Waller Street to create a new public park and pedestrian thoroughfare, developed and maintained at no expense to the City.
d. Fourth, the historic buildings on the site will be preserved and incorporated into the new buildings and architecture that are designed to blend beautifully with the existing neighborhood.
e. Fifth, the entire project is designed to be “green,” including water preservation / conservation features, new community gardens and trees, bike-friendly features, and energy-efficient public and private appliances, among others.
f. Sixth, California State Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) was instrumental in securing a $2 million price reduction from the University of California, the landlord of 55 Laguna, in order to fund the creation of a new, twelve thousand square-foot community services center.
g. Finally, there will be limited new retail spaces on the Market Street-facing corner that is designated for locally-owned small businesses.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of ten years of hard, determined work by many, many people dedicated to the belief that LGBT seniors deserve a dignified, supportive, accessible, safe and welcoming environment. I couldn’t be more thrilled or proud than I am at this moment.” said openhouse co-founder and board member Dr. Marcy Adelman.

About openhouse
A nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, openhouse was established in 1998 to create and sustain a senior residential community and related services that honors lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors. It is committed to providing mixed income, LGBT-friendly senior housing with comprehensive social and health services, referrals for LGBT aging-support services and opportunities for social engagement for those LGBT seniors who wish to age in their homes.

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