SF LGBT Senior Agency Ramps Up Housing Outreach

Openhouse, the San Francisco-based LGBT senior agency, is ramping up its housing outreach as it prepares to open next fall the city's first affordable housing complex meant for LGBT seniors.

Crews with James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp. are turning the building at 55 Laguna Street, a block away from the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, into 39 units of various sizes meant for low-income seniors age 55 and older. An additional unit is being set aside for the resident manager, while six of the senior units will be assigned to people living with HIV or AIDS and at-risk for or have been chronically homeless.

The lottery for those interested in living at the remodeled 55 Laguna building is expected to open in April or May of next year. Those who qualify and are selected to be tenants are expected to move into their new homes sometime in October.

"Our focus is on educating the community about the eligibility of these units," said Openhouse Executive Director Seth Kilbourn.

But due to anti-discrimination laws, the city is barred from setting aside the units solely for LGBT seniors. Anyone, no matter his or her sexual orientation or gender identity, is eligible to apply.

However, due to legislation the Board of Supervisors passed Tuesday, affordable housing projects will need to set aside 40 percent of their units for people who live within the supervisor district they are located within or live within half a mile of the project.

"The neighborhood preference decision needs to be in place before we hold the lottery for 55 Laguna," said gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who co-sponsored the rule change and whose gay-centric district includes Openhouse's project. "It is really important that LGBT seniors have a fair shot of getting into the 55 Laguna project, and the neighborhood preference legislation will increase the odds that LGBT seniors are going to have a fair shot."

To further increase the chances of seeing the 39 units be awarded to LGBT seniors, Openhouse is hoping to tilt the odds in the LGBT community's favor by flooding the lottery with applications from LGBT seniors. It is shooting to have 4,000 LGBT seniors, at minimum, apply to live in the building.

"The reality is it is done by a lottery. It is a numbers game," said Kilbourn. "The more people we can get into the lottery makes it much more likely a core of LGBT people will end up living at 55 Laguna."

The same process will be used to select the seniors to live in an additional 70 units to be built in a new building adjacent to 55 Laguna that is expected to open in 2018. The age requirement for those units will be raised to people 62 and older under revised rules instituted by the state attached to the financing for the building.

"Everybody's goal and interest is to see the LGBT community is well represented at 55 Laguna. The lottery process makes that a challenge because of the housing crisis here in San Francisco," said Kilbourn. "That is the challenge here. We have too few units and far too many people who need them."

To achieve its goals, Openhouse in May hired Abby Krumbein as its new housing coordinator. It was able to do so because it's sharing with the LGBT center a $220,000 two-year grant from the Mayor's Office of Housing aimed at increasing the number of LGBT seniors applying for below-market-rate housing units throughout the city.

Last summer Openhouse also hired Manuel Martinez to be an information and assistance specialist, fielding many calls about housing, after receiving an $80,000 Aging and Disability Resource Center grant.

Because of the funding, Openhouse "has been ramping it up," said Kilbourn, in regard to the housing assistance it provides. It has already compiled a list of 5,000 people who have expressed interest either in living at 55 Laguna or other supportive housing programs.

"We are able to focus on that list in addition to adding to it," said Kilbourn.

In advance of when applications for the 55 Laguna units become available next spring, Krumbein has been holding housing workshops three times a month. She has also begun meeting with staff at other agencies that provide services to LGBT seniors, particularly people of color and transgender older adults.

"We want to prepare people to apply before the lottery happens," she said, later adding that, "We are definitely seeing interest mounting as time goes on."

The 55 Laguna applicants' maximum household income level will need to be 50 percent of the area median income. While the amounts will likely change come 2016, in 2015 for a one-person household the income cut off was $35,700 and for a two-person household it was $40,750.

Openhouse has been fielding calls from people throughout the Bay Area who are interested in applying to live at 55 Laguna. It has also been hearing from current city residents concerned about losing their housing.

"Many folks are living in San Francisco but fear their rents will no longer be affordable or their apartments will no longer be accessible because of their mobility needs," Krumbein said.

The agency has compiled a "Housing Resources List" it is making available to the public at its offices inside the LGBT center from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Housing updates, affordable and senior housing lists, and waitlist information is also available in its reception area or on its website under "Housing Resources."

Volunteers are also needed to assist Openhouse staff in spreading the word about the 55 Laguna project at community events and by calling those seniors who have expressed interest in applying to live there with updates about the lottery process.

For upcoming dates and times of the housing workshops, visit Openhouse's website at http://www.openhouse-sf.org. RSVPs are required and can be made by calling Krumbein at (415) 702-3537.

Anyone interested in volunteering should also call Krumbein.