GenPride Executive Director Judy Kinny, Community Roots Housing CEO Chris Persons, and Dr. Karen Fredriksen Goldsen share in the ribbon-cutting for Pride Place. Behind them are community members and Pride Place funding partners, including Sound Transit CEO Julie Trimm, Seattle Office of Housing Director Maiko Winkler Chin, King County Housing, Homelessness and Community Development Director Simon Foster, and Senator Jamie Pederson. All photos courtesy of Joshua Lewis.

Earlier this month, King County celebrated the grand opening of Pride Place, an affordable housing complex focused on housing the senior lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and other identities (LGBTQIA+) community. Located in the heart of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Pride Place is the first project of its kind for King County, pairing transit-oriented development funds, or funds that provide affordable housing nearby public transit, with the senior LGBTQIA+ community in mind.

“Pride Place is my happy place. This is the kind of home that my friends and I talked about in our forties and could only dream about,” said Laney, a Pride Place resident, musician and theater artist.

Laney, a Pride Place resident, shares her story.

The development is a collaborative effort led by Community Roots Housing, an affordable housing provider founded in 1976 by Capitol Hill community activists concerned about redlining, and GenPride, the first LGBTQIA+ senior-focused organization in Washington.

“In 2017, we embarked on a deep partnership with GenPRIDE to develop housing that centers members of the LGBTQIA+ senior community,” said Christopher Persons, Community Roots Housing CEO. “But more than just apartments, our partnership is determined to put a stake in the ground to stop displacement of the LGBTQIA+ community from their historic neighborhood.”

With deep connections to Seattle’s Lesbian and Gay Chorus and other artist collectives with roots in Capitol Hill, Laney is excited about her return to the neighborhood she calls home.

“After being in the closet for a long while in my last residence, and now that I’m here at Pride Place, I can feel my heart opening up again. Being able to be who I am and continuing to serve my community means everything to me.”

Laney is one of the dozens of people who have already moved into Pride Place. Applications are still being accepted for the 118-unit building that also features the Pacific Northwest’s first community center for ‘rainbow elders’ and allies. The building is eco-friendly with solar panels, a green roof with bioretention planters, triple-paned windows, and ventilation for energy efficient fresh air circulation.

Located in Capitol HIll, Pride Place provides 118 affordable housing units for LGBTQIA+ seniors, is nearby public transit, and incorporates a range of eco-friendly features.

Largely inspired by a 2018 study from the University of Washington entitled, “Aging in Community: Addressing LGBTQ Inequities in Housing and Senior Services,” Pride Place addresses the housing and service-related needs of LGBTQIA+ older adults (people aged 50-87).  A third of the 419 surveyed reported experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation in the sale or rental of an apartment or home. Half of respondents experienced homelessness and felt aging information and referral services were not LGBTQ-affirming, and a third experienced eviction.

“Pride Place is about belonging. Pride Place is not only providing people a place to live, but also providing a welcoming home and safe space for our LGBTQIA+ elders to be their authentic selves without fear or shame,” said Simon Foster, Division Director of Housing, Homelessness and Community Development in King County’s Department of Community and Human Services.

“In the spirit of liberation and opportunity, we celebrate Pride Place and all the people involved in this very important work. We honor your efforts and the legacy being built in Capitol Hill,” Foster said.