By Hutton Marshall | SDUN Editor

Nonprofit developers Community HousingWorks (CHW) recently unveiled plans for an LGBT-affirmative senior housing complex in North Park. With aims to break ground as early as 2016, the 501(c)(3) organization has set its sights on the intersection of Texas Street and Howard Avenue.

Due largely to a study released by The San Diego LGBT Center, CHW identified LGBT seniors in San Diego as a particularly vulnerable demographic in need of welcoming, affordable living spaces. Among the unique challenges and inequalities faced by LGBT “baby boomers” as they enter their later years are isolation, insufficient medical treatment and an unwelcoming senior care environment, according to the “LGBT San Diego’s Trailblazing Generation” study.

“Not only do they face the age discrimination that their non-LGBT counterparts face, but they must also navigate the legacy of a senior care system that often returns them to invisibility and isolation and unfortunately rewards their lifetime of hard work with unequal treatment under its laws, programs and services,” the study stated.

The study also showed LGBT Americans are less likely than non-LGBT seniors to have a family-based support network as they enter their later years, primarily due to the fact that they are both more likely to be single and less likely to have children.

The Center will partner with CHW to provide programs for the living complex and surrounding area that encourage a social, active and healthy lifestyle in an LGBT-supporting way.

“We’re very enthusiastic about this collaborative project,” stated The Center’s CEO Dr. Delores Jacobs in a press release. “LGBT seniors have very few options for affirming and supportive housing — and for our low-income seniors, the situation is even more difficult. This project will provide a significant step in the direction of making sure LGBT seniors in San Diego can live with dignity. The fact that it’s a CHW development makes it even more exciting, as it gives us full confidence that it will be a safe, supportive, well-planned project that anyone would be proud to live in.”

CHW’s decision to build the community in North Park also caters to the idea of creating an LGBT-affirming environment for these seniors. Many LGBT baby boomers have found a social-support system in the historically progressive and LGBT-friendly neighborhoods of Hillcrest and North Park, according to CHW executives. Unfortunately, due to their recent upsurge in development and popularity, rent has increased significantly in these areas, and seniors are often the most susceptible to being priced out. An affordable housing solution would enable LGBT seniors to maintain their socially familiar environment vital in one’s later years.

“If they have support, this is where they have it,” said Anne Wilson, senior VP of housing and real estate development at CHW. “And if they have to move out to El Cajon or to Arizona to find more affordable housing, then they’re going to lose all of that.”

The mixed-income development will include 76 apartments for low-income LGBT seniors, in addition to 118 market-rate multifamily homes. CHW solicited input from the North Park Planning Group’s urban design and project review subcommittee, and plans to submit a formal application to the City in January through the Affordable Housing Density Bonus program, which offers incentives to developers building affordable housing.

In January of 2013, CHW completed Kalos, an environmentally friendly and affordable-living rental community on Florida Street, also in North Park. Similar to Kalos, the future LGBT-based complex plans to rely partially on tax credits and publicly funded programs — although CHW will likely seek a for-profit partner this time around. Due to the lengthy application and approval process, the project has a significant way to go before breaking ground, according to CHW Vice President of Acquisitions Dave Gatzke.

“All real estate development has long time horizons but when you bring in the affordable-financing layer, it adds even more time unfortunately,” Gatzke said. “Our best possible outcome would be groundbreaking in 2016, but I also want to be careful not to set expectations. It may not happen until 2019.”

CHW plans to hold open house information sessions about the proposed development in early 2014 for members of the community. For more information, visit chworks.org.