Perseverance, Patience, and Partnerships Build Elder LGBT Housing in San Francisco

55 Laguna adds critically needed affordable housing and is an effective model of safe and welcoming housing for LGBT elders.The need is clear. In 2015, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco reached a record high of $3,530 (O'Brien, 2015). Using the usual measure of affordability that rent should not exceed 30 percent of income, the rent for a typical one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco calls for a gross household income of $140,000 or more per year. Only 25 percent of all households of all sizes, and 8 percent of older adult households in San Francisco enjoy that level of income (City-Data.com, 2016). Do the math-such rental prices add up to a housing crisis that is forcing people to leave the city in staggering numbers and threatens the culture of community that has defined San Francisco for decades.A New Design to Offer Affordable HousingThis fall, Openhouse and our co-general partner, Mercy Housing California, will open the first of two buildings that when completed in 2018 will include the following: 119 apartments of affordable housing-designed and marketed as an LGBT-welcoming senior community; and 10,000 square feet of space designated for a new Openhouse service center and program facility.The City of San Francisco approved LGBTwelcoming senior housing at 55 Laguna Street as part of its Nonprofit Affordable Rental Housing Program, in which nonprofit agencies like Openhouse own and operate the housing and lease it only to households of low income. Public funds cover costs to develop, design, and build the housing; rent payments and other available subsidies generate the income to operate and maintain it.No single housing developer could possibly build enough affordable housing in San Francisco to meet the skyrocketing demand. When fifty applicants typically apply for one unit of affordable housing, it is a legitimate question to ask if it is worth it for an organization like Openhouse to be in the housing business. The answer is a resounding "yes" and here's why: Housing is fundamental to healthy aging. And housing that meets the needs of our community is fundamental to the vision of Openhouse.A Vision-and Model-of Healthy AgingThree pillars of healthy aging form the core of the Openhouse vision: a secure place to live, access to trusted support services, and close relationships.Openhouse's objective with every initiative, program, and partnership is to make this threefold model work for the LGBT community by tailoring it to life experiences and family structures. A place to live means a place where an LGBT older adult feels safe to live authentically, with a support system that respects his or her family of choice and understands his or her relationships.Taking on the housing needs of our community generated a citywide response-an outpouring of community advocacy and a level of civic engagement that demonstrated the urgent need for change. Connecting housing, which everyone understands, to the lives of LGBT elders, which very few understand, continues to generate support for a broad and inclusive vision that drives us forward.Today's LGBT elders came to San Francisco to discover themselves, be themselves, and find a welcoming community. They wanted to live in a place that valued diversity and respected differences. Facing the challenges that inevitably come with age, the health and well-being of our community's older adults depends upon preserving as much of that community culture as is possible and adapting that culture to today's community needs. "I live in the city because I like diversity" is a theme consistently reflected in market studies, focus groups, and community surveys of LGBT older adults in San Francisco. Equally consistent is the importance of community identity and the security and comfort that comes with it. As one participant in a 2013 Openhouse focus group said, "First, I had to overcome being black. …