On Friday, September 10, 2021, some of Seattle's most prominent figures gathered in front of the historic Eldridge Tire Company building to celebrate the groundbreaking of the first LGBTQIA+-affirming senior housing community in Washington state. As the event host, Aleksa Manila, put it, "This is quite legendary!"

The project was made possible by GenPride and Community Roots Housing, which lobbied for funding from the county, city, and state legislators after providing thorough research indicating that the community had a dire need for more such housing for senior citizens.

Pride Place will provide 118 units of affordable apartments on seven stories to LGBTQIA+ senior community members.

Remembering and honoring history
The decision to place the project in the heart of Capitol Hill was deliberate. Much of the charm and culture of the neighborhood comes from its being a safe and welcoming place for Seattle's Queer community, as it grew during the height of the Gay liberation movement.

Joe McDermott, vice chair of the King County Council, spoke to the experiences of Queer activists in Capitol Hill's early days, telling the story of a friend who "recalled vividly coming and going from alley entrances to Gay bars because visibility carried a real risk." Today, Seattle has the second highest Queer population, behind only San Francisco.

"It is so important to remember our history and honor our trailblazers who led us. And yet, far too often, as members of the LGBTQIA community age, they lose community and often connections to their family of choice," added McDermott.

As more people move to the city, neighborhoods have begun to become gentrified. Many Queer residents who worked so hard to make neighborhoods like Capitol Hill a safe space are now finding themselves pushed aside. Pride Place aims to solidify a space for these aging activists who have spent their lives solidifying spaces for younger LGBTQIA+ people to grow and feel safe.

Lorena Gonzales, president of the Seattle City Council, noticed the effect gentrification has had on many of Seattle's long-term residents. It was this trend that pushed her to get involved with the Pride Place project.

"Like so many of you, I see the magnitude of housing and affordability challenges facing so many Seattleites, making it too hard for many to continue to call our city home," Gonzales declared. "I first became involved in this wonderful effort because I believe that everyone deserves to live in a welcoming place. And I was horrified to learn that some of our LGBTQ seniors had to go back into the closet just to find housing stability and a place to be housed."

In 2016 Gonzales championed funding for the Rainbow Housing Report. "It affirmed what we knew: that our LGBTQ seniors need housing," she said, "and they need housing that is both affirming and responsive to their needs in the historic part of the city that has always been a home for you."

A new senior center
First to speak at the groundbreaking event was Dr. Karen Fredriksen-Goldson, a nationally recognized scholar whose work in addressing equity and intersections of health disparities, aging, and well-being in resilient at-risk communities made the Pride Place project possible. Dr. Fredriksen-Goldson was also the pilot behind the Rainbow Housing Report.

"There were rumblings about this 20 years ago. A decade ago, I was talking to a person in the city about an LGBTQ elder center. They concluded that it would never happen," said Dr. Fredriksen-Goldson. She has put in decades of work to help create the state's first LGBTQIA+
senior center.

"Never underestimate the fortitude of our community," she said. "Today will celebrate Seattle's first LGBTQ-affirming, age-friendly, racially equitable, and affordable housing community. And the Gen Pride center will be right inside the doors, creating community here in the very heart of our historic Capitol Hill. Pride Place: a place we can all call home."

Not only will Pride Place provide homes to Queer seniors, but it will also be the location of a new, 4,400-square-foot GenPride community and health services center. LGBTQIA+ providers will be brought in so residents will have easy access.

In addition, 3,800 square feet of commercial retail space will also be included on the street level of the building, ensuring a place for LGBTQIA+ businesses to operate.

Affordable homes
A study out of the University of Washington found that LGBTQIA+ adults are more likely to face financial challenges in their later years due to a lack of familial financial support and the cost of additional healthcare that may not be as necessary for heterosexuals and cisgendered people.

"I realized early on that Seattle had some of the least support for LGBTQ elders across the nation. So we started Gen Pride," added Dr. Fredriksen-Goldson. "When I first started talking to elders here, I heard another important message: We want a place we can call home. A place that is home a place that feels like home.

"LGBT elders still to this day remain largely invisible, underserved, even though we have one of the largest LGBT communities in the nation. We all know Seattle is facing a housing crisis, and we need to create an inclusive and safe environment for LGBTQ older adults, really to better our entire city.".

Units at Pride Place will be affordable for low-income households that earn 30-60% of the area's median income.

Funding for the project has come to $52 million, much of it from a variety of public and private investments, as well as low-income state and federal tax credits, the Rise Together campaign, and GenPride.

When it comes to meeting funding goals, the director of the City of Seattle's Office of Housing, Emily Alvarado, is not too worried. "We are on track to meet our levy goals. We may even exceed our levy goals, and we see the power and the promise of these investments, [though] we must do much more."

"All people deserve to age with the dignity and safety that an affordable home provides," she added. "Here at Pride Place, we are bringing 118 new, critically needed, affordable homes to the heart of Capitol Hill."

Members of Seattle's Capitol Hill community are thrilled to see the project begin. Community member Jordan Ross said, "It's nice to see this space getting good use. It's just been sitting vacant for so long." Friends, neighbors, and supporters can't wait to return to the building site in 18 months when the ribbons are cut, and the heroes of the LGBTQIA+ movement finally get a place where they can age with pride.