A multi-story apartment complex with grey and white exterior, modern design, and multiple balconies stands at 2222 Cleburne Street. A few cars are parked and driving on the road in front of the building. Trees are scattered around as Montrose Center announces the groundbreaking of Houston’s first LGBTQ-affirming senior housing center Tuesday, Oct. 30, 10:30 a.m.

FIRST LGBTQ-AFFIRMING SENIOR HOUSING CENTER IN THE SOUTH


MONTROSE CENTER TO BREAK GROUND ON FIRST LGBTQ-AFFIRMING SENIOR HOUSING CENTER IN THE SOUTH

The Montrose Center is excited to announce the groundbreaking of Houston’s LGBTQ-affirming senior housing center on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 10:30 a.m. at the event site located on 2222 Cleburne Street. The “There’s No Place Like Home†campaign, led by honorary campaign co-chairs, Mayor Annise Parker and State Rep. Garnet Coleman, has hit the final financial milestone in order to break ground.

In early September, the Center received a letter of commitment for nine percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) worth an estimated $13.8 million in funding for the senior housing project. This sum is separate from the more than $3 million raised from the community, the $2.5 million of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) funds allocated by the City of Houston, and the land donation valued at more than $3.26 million from the Midtown Redevelopment Authority.

Housing is one of the greatest financial challenges, and correspondingly, one of the greatest needs for older adults across the nation. The groundbreaking event will also honor and thank Mayor Parker and Rep. Coleman for their vision and work to launch the senior housing center.

The property will feature 112 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments for low-income seniors ages 62 and older. Eligible seniors will pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent. Additional features of the property will include a geriatric primary care clinic, a group dining area, meeting and game rooms, a fitness center, a dog park, vegetable garden and outdoor recreational spaces.

The award of tax credits is a tremendous accomplishment for both the LGBTQ community and Houston. The tax credit process, which took place over the course of three years, involved a partnership between the Montrose Center and the City of Houston because the tax credits are extraordinarily difficult to secure. These tax credits are projected to cover more than half the costs of the project. Additionally, the “There’s No Place Like Home†senior housing center scored the highest in region six out of all applications for housing tax credits.

The Center is elated by the amount of support received from all partners, and could not have pursued the nine percent tax credits without the tremendous financial support from the community that allowed the Center to secure the donation of the land and make the project viable. The Center is grateful for the donation of the 2.87 acre lot at 2222 Cleburne Street from the Midtown Redevelopment Authority, allowing the Center to build a facility large enough to meet the needs of seniors being priced out of their neighborhoods. Although the Center is celebrating an important milestone and beginning the construction of the senior center, fundraising for the project continues.

This project presents a unique opportunity for the LGBTQ community and its allies to come together to ensure that LGBTQ and Third Ward seniors can age in a safe and affirming environment, with dignity, independence and a sense of community.

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