Many older LGBTQ people are concerned with finding a home where they can be themselves without facing discrimination or harassment. Our community has large unmet needs in this area. In the US, 50% of LGBTQ seniors are not out, and are more likely to be poor, with one-third living at or below 200% of the poverty line. In Massachusetts, public health data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey (BRFSS) conducted in 2016-2018 showed statistically significant differences between LGBT people 50-75 and straight, cisgender people 50-75, with LGBT elders reporting higher rates of fair/poor overall health, and were:

• Nearly twice as likely to report ever having been diagnosed with a depressive disorder
• More likely to rent and less likely to own their home
• More likely to report difficulty paying for housing or food in past year

The Massachusetts Commission on LGBT Aging identified housing as the number one concern of LGBT seniors. The Equality and Equity Report (Boston Indicators and Fenway Institute, 2018) said LGBT seniors are the most vulnerable for social isolation, depression, and being cut off from needed social and health care supports. Older LGBTQ people are concerned with finding a home where they can be themselves without being forced back into the closet, and are at risk for isolation as they age, as they are less likely to have supports such as a spouse/partner, children, welcoming faith communities, families of origin and local community resources.

The Pryde will be the first LGBTQ-friendly affordable, senior development in Massachusetts, fulfilling a massive unmet need. An estimated 65,000 LGBTQ older adults live in Massachusetts, a population that is more likely to be in fair/poor overall health, have difficulty paying for housing or food, or suffer from depression when compared to their non-LGBTQ counterparts. This is in part due to problems related to social isolation and the lasting impacts of trauma associated with systemic anti-LGBTQ discrimination (AARP April 2018 study).

In creating The Pryde, LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc. seeks to provide support and community to older LGBTQ adults —ensuring not only roofs over their heads, but real connection to each other and the broader community.

As of the groundbreaking in June 2022, LGBTQ Senior Housing and Pennrose had assembled more than $47,000,000 in public, private, and philanthropic funding sources, to build out The Pryde, all of which have been fully committed. As a complex historic preservation project, The Pryde has received significant financial support from State, City, and private funding sources for this important and desperately needed project.

This includes funds from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, via programs including the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Community Based Housing funds, Housing Stabilization Funds, and Transit-Oriented Development Funds, among others. The City of Boston has contributed resources from its Community Preservation Act and Housing Boston 2030 programs. The Pryde has also received an Affordable Housing Program grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and philanthropic grants worth another $1,000,000. As with many large mixed-income and affordable housing projects, the largest funding sources are private equity raised via the sale of Federal and State Tax Credits, in this case, both Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credits.