Lester Olson, 69, remembers exactly what the leasing agent told him and his then-partner a few decades ago in Washington, Pa., when they were looking for a home together.
He’d never forget it.
“Well, you know, it looks like you might be a homosexual couple, and we don't rent to homosexuals,” the woman told the pair before concluding the tour.
While the LGBTQ+ community has seen significant strides since then, the challenges are far from over in older age.
Bob Kunkle, 71, doesn’t ever plan on telling senior housing facilities he’s gay when he needs the assistance in the future. Mr. Kunkle saw the way senior communities tend to develop cliques and tight inner circles when he brought his father to a nursing home. He knows that being gay could add another target, one he worries he would be ostracized for.
Mr. Kunkle believes some housing providers would turn him away entirely.
“I’m not sure I could bring up the subject,” he said. “It could be held against me.”
Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, Western Pennsylvania’s largest aging services provider, has recognized the problem – a generation of LGBTQ+ people are growing older but aren’t finding housing and other resources open to caring for them. After already facing a lifetime of discrimination, they wonder how long held prejudices may follow them into senior living.
Soon, Western Pennsylvania residents will find a safe haven in Mosaic Apartments, a 48-unit affordable housing complex in Oakland. The project, led by Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, began construction this May, with the facility scheduled to open in fall 2025. This community will be the second of its kind in the state, housing LGBTQ+ people aged 62 and up who are facing income constraints.
Donations of land from UPMC, followed by University of Pittsburgh and then nearby Dialysis Clinic, Inc., were crucial early steps that made the project possible. UPMC and Pitt offered the land at no cost. So far, more than $28 million has been raised for the project, with $4 million coming from state low-income housing tax credits.
LGBTQ+ elders shared their thoughts on their housing needs during a recent support group meeting at the Persad Center, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that offers LGBTQ+-affirming mental health services and serves as a partner on the project. Mosaic Apartments is the kind of place some of them never expected to see in their lifetime, not in their own backyard.
Mr. Olson reminds that progress with federal law has been slow. None consistently protect LGBTQ+ individuals from housing discrimination. Just in 2021, HUD-funded housing agencies were required to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation under the Fair Housing Act.
“One of the symptoms of discrimination is not having material resources,” Mr. Olson said. “Some of us are lucky enough to be able to negotiate our way through it. But the reality is that people oftentimes don't have the resources, so this is invaluable.”
Mosaic Apartments started by an off-chance conversation in a parking lot between Kathi Boyle of the Persad Center, and Jim Pieffer, president and CEO of Presbyterian SeniorCare Network.
“She said, ‘You know, I’d really love for Presbyterian SeniorCare Network to consider building an affordable community for our LGBTQ seniors,’” Mr. Pieffer said. “This would really be something special. Many of our clients are reluctant to go into traditional communities because sometimes they have to re-closet. That really intrigued me.”
Now, seven years later, that vision for an inclusive community is finally coming to fruition. Located right on the western entrance to Oakland’s business district, near the corner of Forbes and Craft avenues, the new apartments will offer access to the bustling neighborhood, museums and medical facilities nearby.
“It'll actually be the first building you see as you enter Oakland once it's constructed,” Mr. Pieffer said. “What a great symbol for the city of Pittsburgh. I grew up on the South Side, walking distance from this project. It's very gratifying. The best planning process I've ever been through.”
Mr. Kunkle has sat on an advisory committee to help steer that process over the past year and a half. Some of the conversations around the building and programming came down to making sure the community is dog friendly, an important amenity to dog owners like himself, and having enough parking for those who still drive.
Then, there were the bigger questions – the most important being safety. With Andy Warhol’s roots in the neighborhood, the building’s exterior and interior will embrace art that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. Those public displays of support are undoubtedly meaningful to people like Mr. Kunkle, but some committee members wondered about what it could attract, given that LGBTQ+ hate crimes have recently hit record highs. That’s why the outside artwork will be covered in a washable surface, and the organization is looking at other measures to keep residents safe.
Those considerations also colored the community’s name. The Presbyterian SeniorCare Network held a contest and sought out suggestions from members of the LGBTQ+ community. The SeniorCare Network received nearly 140 responses, ultimately deciding that “Mosaic Apartments” was the right fit.
“Originally, we were going to try to name it after somebody in the LGBTQ community, and the feedback we got was, let's try to make it something that is sensitive, but not so direct,” Mr. Pieffer said. “We can do some things internally in the building to recognize LGBTQ leaders, but from the outside, we want the world to think it's just a nice apartment building.”
But Mr. Pieffer and others involved with the project emphasize that Mosaic Apartments won’t be overshadowed by fears of outside criticism. While security and safety are key, this is not a place for people to shy away from their identity. For many, it may be the first time they’ve lived somewhere where they felt comfortable being themselves.
“People in this age group are approaching needing this housing are used to being in the closet,” Mr. Kunkle said. “We can open that door or close it. We had to all our lives.”
That reality is what pushed Mr. Pieffer to create the advisory committee in the first place. Through feedback, the organization is making plans for offering counseling geared towards the LGBTQ community as well as health screenings, working with local providers who specialize in these areas. Mr. Pieffer said they will incorporate staff training to ensure staff understand the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
“People told us these folks should just be happy you're building this building, like, why are you taking this extra time?” Mr. Pieffer said. “They should just be happy to have a safe place to live. But that's not very fulfilling, is it? That means you're in the real estate business. We're in the ‘helping seniors improve their lives business.”
There’s also special meaning in a faith-based organization being the driving force behind the new community, especially for Don Hall. Mr. Hall, who identifies as transgender, remembers when he was barred from serving as a deacon for his Baptist church. Being gay meant it limited much involvement in the church besides attending services.
“You couldn't be in the choir, you couldn’t do nothing,” he said. “You know, they kind of looked down on me.”
Mr. Pieffer knew that this kind of discrimination can find it way into the senior care industry.
“Some of our fellow faith based providers are uncomfortable taking LGBTQ couples in their organizations,” he said. “We have obviously never had a policy like that. I think people were surprised that we would do this, in a positive way, because I think sometimes faith-based organizations get labeled as traditional or exclusive.”
The cumulative impact of discrimination and inequality has led to lower earning power and higher poverty rates in this group. Nearly one-third of LGBTQ+ adults ages 65 and older live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, compared to a quarter of non-LGBTQ+ older adults. This percentage rises to 40% of LGBT older adults 80 and older, according to a 2016 study.
While marriage equality was legalized in the United States in 2015, its long time absence meant same sex couples were denied the same financial and family protections, including access to their partners’ Social Security benefits, retirement funds or pensions.
For elders who are HIV positive, the uncertainty around the diagnosis may have dissuaded them from saving money towards retirement, thinking they would not live to see it. As treatments have become much more effective, many elders are living well past retirement age, without adequate savings. And LGBTQ+ people face greater discrimination in employment throughout their lives, leaving them in greater economic distress when they get older. Mr. Hall said he was routinely denied or lacked access to work in the construction industry.
A 2014 survey showed that nearly 45% of older LGBTQ+ people were concerned they would have to work well beyond retirement age to get by, compared to 25% of non-LGBTQ+ individuals.
Despite the glaring disparities, there are few options targeted to this group. Just about a dozen LGBTQ+ senior communities are found across the country, said Marty Healey, Persad Center’s chief executive officer, making Pittsburgh a pioneer.
“What Presbyterian SeniorCare is doing here is they're saying to all of those other senior care facilities throughout the state and the country that acceptance of our community is important,” Mr. Healey said. “The stigma and feelings of lack of acceptance starts to creep back into people's lives as they get older, so it's exciting to see something happen here. Something that really allows you to be embraced.”
Applications for residency are expected to become available in March 2025, six months before the building opens. About 35 units at Mosaic Apartments will accept housing vouchers, allowing residents to pay 30% of their adjusted income. Interested potential residents can join the inquiry list by sending an email to LGBTQ+friendly@srcare.org.
First Published: June 2, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: June 3, 2024, 6:28 p.m.