NYC Will Soon Be Home to the Largest Elder LGBT Residence in the U.S.

The Fort Green Brooklyn housing will be the largest elder LGBT residence in America

Over the last several years, several LGBT senior housing developments have gone into major cities across the US, including Chicago, LA, Minneapolis and Philadelphia but despite having more than 700,000 LGBT-identifying residents in NYC, nothing in the 5 boroughs.

Well, some good news. The Bronx & Brooklyn will be the homes of new developments of New York City’s first senior housing benefiting the elder LGBT community. Michael Adams, CEO of SAGE said in a press statement,

“For too long, our LGBT elder pioneers in New York City have lacked access to housing where they are welcomed for who they are. Ingersoll and Crotona are a critically important step toward righting that wrong.”

The 82 unit Crotona Senior Residences will be developed by NYC Housing and Preservation, HELP USA, NY State Homes along with Community Renewal and SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders). It will have,

• 100% affordable senior housing;
• A range of supportive services designed to help tenants achieve health and wellbeing
• Apartments conducive to safe and active aging
• On-site access to SAGE Centers, which will provide LGBT culturally competent services to older adults who live in the buildings and surrounding community
• Hot meals and high quality programming daily

The Brooklyn residences will be located in Fort Greene and are expected to cost $47 million with 145 affordable units over 16 floors. It will be the largest LGBT senior housing development in the United States. It’ll feature an open lobby with street access, a garden terrace and a state-of-the-art senior center and community center.

For the Crotona Senior Residences in the Bronx, SAGE is working to provide supportive housing for high-needs residents, like veterans, survivors of domestic violence, the homeless and those with HIV/AIDS. The 82-unit residence—designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning —is expected to cost $38.4 million.

SAGE has found through research that 48% of LGBT older people applying for senior housing as part of a national test were subjected to discrimination which makes it extremely difficult for LGBT elders to find appropriate housing.

Adams said,