First LGBTQ-friendly senior housing development opens in Boston

Addressing the region’s shortage of affordable housing and the specific needs of aging LGBTQ+ residents, Boston recently opened an LGBTQ-friendly apartment building for seniors, called the first of its kind in New England.

On July 3, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joined U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, city officials and stakeholders for the grand opening of The Pryde, a converted school building that now features 74 below-market-rate apartments and community space. The development’s name reflects both LGBTQ+ pride and the Hyde Park neighborhood where the building is located.

City officials said the development responds to the need for LGBTQ-affirming affordable housing and services, and provides a place where seniors can feel safe and valued, and can participate in programming that celebrates their lives.

“Older people in Boston deserve to live in a welcoming, accessible home where they can live and age with dignity,” said Emily Shea, Boston’s Age Strong Commissioner, in a prepared statement. “The Pryde will not only provide the accessible features and living spaces needed for older people to live well, but it will also build community with its welcoming spaces for activity and social connection.”

The project has brought new life to a 120-year-old, unused school building, and represents a partnership involving the city of Boston, the nonprofit LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc. and developer Pennrose, with support from the federal and state government, philanthropic organizations, private companies and the community.

The building contains a mix of studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments created from renovated classrooms. Its amenities include 24-hour staffing, resident lounges and a sunroom, on-site laundry, an art studio, library and classroom space for continuing education, a fitness center, a general store, and organized transportation options for appointments.

The Pryde was designed to welcome the surrounding community, with event and gallery spaces and a 10,000-square foot community center offering social, educational and cultural services and programming. Pryde residents have nearby access to shopping, restaurants, cultural resources and the MBTA Commuter Rail.

“This new development is an incredible asset to the neighborhood, offering not just beautiful new housing, but also access to gardens, an art studio with gallery space, and an active community space,” Mayor Wu said in a statement.

The Pryde includes office space for LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc., and for the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment of Reenactors of Hyde Park, a group that preserves the history of, and educates the public about one of the first Black regiments to serve in the Civil War.

While the building is LGBTQ-friendly, the application process was open to anyone who was at least 62 years old and met certain financial requirements. During the initial leasing process, 70% of the units carried a preference for Boston residents.

The apartment rents range from $1,223 to $2,802 a month, according to the Pennrose website. Eight of the 74 apartments are dedicated to people leaving homelessness or who need rental assistance, with the remaining available to those who fall into five different tiers between 30% and 100% of area median income.

A housing lottery for the development took place in April, and Pennrose said it received more than 700 applications. Residents recently started moving into The Pryde, and the company said it hopes to have the building fully occupied by the fall.

Financing for the project came through a variety of sources, including a $850,000 federal earmark, federal and state low-income housing tax credits, state historic tax credits, city funding and funds through its Community Preservation Act, as well as numerous private donations, including a $1 million donation from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.