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SAGE, with support from Citi Community Development, will gather experts in the housing field to elevate LGBTQ+ elder housing issues and collaborate on innovative partnerships and solutions

Tuesday, October 29, WASHINGTON, DC – Today, SAGE will bring together housing developers, nonprofit practitioners, and policy experts from across the nation for a history-making inaugural LGBTQ+ Housing Symposium at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) in Washington, D.C. With support from Citi Community Development, the event sponsor and an LGBTQ+ elder champion, participants will discuss how to develop culturally competent LGBTQ+-affirming housing and establish new partnerships to increase LGBTQ+-inclusive housing nationwide.

“Despite celebrating our progress over the 50 years since the Stonewall uprising, LGBTQ+ older people still face high rates of discrimination—especially when seeking increasingly limited affordable housing,” said SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “LGBTQ+ elders are facing locked doors when finding a place to live. In 26 states across the country, people can be evicted or refused housing simply because of who they are or whom they love. That’s why SAGE created our National LGBTQ+ Elder Housing Initiative —to make the housing sector more welcoming of LGBTQ+ older people – and why we are bringing together thought leaders at this groundbreaking symposium today.”

Finding a safe, affordable home to grow old in is a concern for so many older people in this country. Older LGBTQ+ people’s concerns are exacerbated by experiences of discrimination—by property managers, staff, other residents, or service providers—when seeking rental and senior housing. A recent study found that 48% of same-sex couples are subjected to discrimination when applying for housing. Housing for LGBTQ+ elders can be miserable or even life-threatening. Compared to their heterosexual peers, LGBTQ+ elders are:

• Twice as likely to be single and live alone
• Four times less likely to have children
• Far more likely to have faced discrimination and social stigma
• More likely, therefore, to face poverty and homelessness and to have poor health

“The LGBTQ+ population age fifty and above is expected to grow from 3 to 7 million over the next decade, yet there are only about 600 units of affordable housing that are equipped with the appropriate training and services to meet their unique needs,” said Bob Annibale, Global Director, Citi Community Development. “By bringing together leading housing organizations and LGBTQ+ service providers, we hope this convening helps create housing solutions that are culturally competent for the LGBTQ+ community, and other populations that are disproportionately excluded.”

With an array of experts across the housing, aging, and LGBTQ+ advocacy sectors, participants will discuss strategies on how to address the barriers that LGBTQ+ elders face in finding housing and aging in place.

SAGE also recognizes the Calamus Foundation and Wells Fargo for its general support of SAGE’s critical national housing work.