![\"\u201cKalos\u201d](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Front-View.jpg\")
<\/a>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 \u201cbaby boomers\u201d as they enter their later years are isolation, insufficient medical treatment and an unwelcoming senior care environment, according to the \u201cLGBT San Diego\u2019s Trailblazing Generation\u201d study.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot 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,\u201d the study stated.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very enthusiastic about this collaborative project,\u201d stated The Center\u2019s CEO Dr. Delores Jacobs in a press release. \u201cLGBT seniors have very few options for affirming and supportive housing \u2014 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\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n CHW\u2019s 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\u2019s later years.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they have support, this is where they have it,\u201d said Anne Wilson, senior VP of housing and real estate development at CHW. \u201cAnd if they have to move out to El Cajon or to Arizona to find more affordable housing, then they\u2019re going to lose all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAll real estate development has long time horizons but when you bring in the affordable-financing layer, it adds even more time unfortunately,\u201d Gatzke said. \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>