Intergenerational Affordable Housing for LGBT Youth and Seniors in Los Angeles

Intergenerational Affordable Housing for LGBT Youth and Seniors in Los Angeles

People who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) face disproportionately high rates of homelessness and can encounter hostility in accessing housing and other services because of their gender expression or sexual identity. In Los Angeles, approximately 40 percent of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBT. The new headquarters for the Los Angeles LGBT Center is the Anita May Rosenstein Campus, providing space for the organization’s administrative offices, services, shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness, and affordable housing for seniors and transition-age youth. Colocating the campus’ many functions allows residents and clients to live and receive services in a safe and affirming environment. The two affordable housing developments include the 25-unit Michaeljohn Horne & Thomas Eugene Jones Youth Housing building, serving individuals aged 18 to 24, and the 98-unit Ariadne Getty Foundation Senior Housing Complex, serving people aged 62 and older. Developer Thomas Safran & Associates completed both buildings for the center, with both opening in 2021.

Project Details

All units at the youth building are studio apartments; the senior building contains 19 studios, 75 one-bedroom, and 4 two-bedroom units. All the units in the youth building are reserved for individuals earning no more than 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) and have been assigned project-based vouchers to ensure that residents pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. At the senior building, 41 units have an income limit of 60 percent of AMI, 31 units have an income limit of 50 percent of AMI, and the remaining 25 units have an income limit of 30 percent of AMI. Amenities include a community room, case management offices, a television room with a computer area, a fitness center, a barbeque area, and landscaped outdoor space. Each group has space dedicated solely for the residents of each building, while other shared common spaces allow residents to socialize across generations.

Total development costs for the youth building were approximately $11 million, with funding coming from the California Community Reinvestment Corporation; the Affordable Housing Program (AHP); the HOME Investment Partnerships Program; low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) equity; and bonds issued through Proposition HHH, a $1.2 billion bond measure approved by Los Angeles voters in 2016 to fund up to 10,000 new units of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. A similar funding package supported development of the senior building and included LIHTC equity, HHH bonds, community development block grant funds, AHP funds, and a HUD Section 221(d)(4) loan.

Among the center’s other housing-related offerings at the Anita May Rosenstein Campus is a 100-bed shelter, which allows individuals to stay up to 18 months. Some of these residents participate in the center’s Transitional Living Program, which has successfully transitioned more than 90 percent of participating youth into stable housing, employment, or scholarship-funded postsecondary education. The center also operates a rapid rehousing program with the capacity to place 75 individuals into housing per year.

Creating Community in a Service-Rich Environment

An advantage of colocating service provision and housing is ease of access for residents. The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Senior Center is adjacent to the senior apartment building and offers services, programs and activities. For LGBT seniors, these offerings are particularly important because many came of age during a time of widespread animus toward LGBT people. In addition, LGBT seniors are less likely than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts to have children who can help provide care and support.

For residents of the youth building, the on-campus Youth Center and Youth Academy offer a LifeWorks program with one-on-one mentoring and a charter high school for LGBT youth who do not feel safe or comfortable attending a traditional school. A 300-hour culinary program, enrolling 100 students each year, teaches trainees the skills they need to land a job in the city’s restaurant and hospitality industries. On-the-job training also takes place at the center’s café, the Liberation Coffee House, which serves food to residents of both housing developments, people participating in the Transitional Living Program, and the general public. The center’s Pride Pantry is an additional resource for members of the community at large who are food insecure.

Challenges and Surprises

According to Stephen Burn, general manager for the Anita May Rosenstein Campus project, the center’s involvement with affordable housing has presented both challenges and unexpected joys. One difficulty, explained Burn, surfaced during the development of the center’s first affordable housing project, Triangle Square. The state of California and HUD prohibit housing providers from discriminating against people because of their sexuality or gender expression, but some residents moved to Triangle Square who were hostile to the LGBT people living there, creating tension for an organization formed to aid a historically persecuted group. The solution, according to Burn, is to be forthright with prospective residents about the inclusive and nonjudgmental values of the organization. As a result, some who are uncomfortable living with LGBT neighbors have chosen not to pursue housing at the center.

Although the campus’ two age groups have distinct needs, Burn reports the intergenerational mix has had surprising benefits. Friendships have formed across generations. Many seniors, for example, offer informal advice and mentorship to younger residents, such as teaching them to use computers or giving tips on writing and formatting a résumé. A “senior prom” gave older residents a chance to express intimacy and have fun in a way that likely was not available to them in their youth while presenting models of successful adult LGBT relationships for younger residents.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus marks a new chapter in the organization’s history. Development costs for the nonhousing parts of the campus were supported by more than $57 million in gifts from individual and foundation donors and $43 million in equity from new markets tax credits. With its services, job training, educational opportunities, shelter, and affordable housing, the center is uplifting a community that has a disproportionately higher risk of experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity than does the general population. Finally, the new campus has created a new resource at the center’s old home, which has been converted into a medical services facility specializing in primary care for LGBT individuals and people living with HIV.