A Home Among Friends℠ exists to create housing communities
for senior LGBT populations by:
Buying and renovating existing housing stock and assisting homeowners in planning modifications to their homes to accommodate additional roommates.
Our Friendly Communities Initiative identifies, purchases, and renovates existing housing located within naturally occurring retirement communities with walkable access to amenities, including healthcare, grocers, pharmacies, and restaurants. Our focus is on small-scale (4-12 units) projects that fit into existing neighborhoods. Our Friendly Home Initiative provides residential planning design guidance offered on a fee for service (sliding scale) basis to homeowners who want to re-design their owned home to accommodate renters in private apartments with access to common living spaces. Recruiting participants for both programs who explicitly seek community living. Both initiatives develop rentable units that strive to consume no more than 30% of the renters’ monthly income. Let’s look at the problem and opportunity. |
#1: Only one-third of older adults living alone say they are financially comfortable.
- “Housing affordability is at crisis levels," said Robert Dietz, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders. ... In fact, the NLIHC estimates that the United States has a shortage of 7 million affordable rental homes for Americans with incomes below the poverty line or 30% of the local median income. Dec 30, 2019.
- Social Security constituted 90% or more of the income received by 34% of beneficiaries in 2015 (43% of non-married beneficiaries).
- Over 4.6 million older adults (9.3%) were below the poverty level in 2016. 13% of Louisianans age 65+ live in poverty, the second highest rate in the nation.
- In 2015, almost 44% of older householders spent more than one-third of their income on housing costs - 36% for owners and 78% for renters.
- A higher percentage of older persons living alone were poor (17.3%) as compared with older persons living with families (5.3%).
#2: There is a mismatch between current housing stock and current housing needs.
- Arthur C. Nelson, who directs the Metropolitan Research Center at the University of Utah, is cited in Bloomberg’s Citylab that about 38 percent of Americans want to buy or rent an attached unit, meaning a townhouse, a condo or an apartment. Thirty-seven percent of people say they want to live on a small lot.
- Currently, only a quarter of Americans say they want to live on large lots, but 43 percent of them do. Only 28 percent actually live in attached units while a plurality of people want to, and only 29 percent of people live on small lots while millions more would like the chance. America currently has about 30 million more homes on large lots than the market demands.
#3: LGBT individuals are less likely to have a supportive social network than heterosexuals (Pew
Research, 2013) and are far less likely to have support from children or original families.
a. Isolation and fear of loneliness are major concerns of LGBT older individuals (FredriksenGoldsen et al., 2011). For example, nearly 60% of surveyed LGBT older adults in one study reported feeling a lack of companionship, and over 50% reported feeling isolated from others (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2011).
b. Studies have found positive effects of social support among LGBT older adults (Ramirez-Valles, Dirkes, & Barret, 2014; Fredriksen-Goldsen et al, 2001; MAP & SAGE, 2010).
c. Social support not only serves as a function of support toward aging but also in dealing with lifelong stigma and discrimination of being LGBT (D’Augelli & Grossman, 2001).
d. Social isolation is also a concern because LGBT older adults are more likely to live alone, more likely to be single and less likely to have children than their heterosexual counterparts. (APA)
b. Studies have found positive effects of social support among LGBT older adults (Ramirez-Valles, Dirkes, & Barret, 2014; Fredriksen-Goldsen et al, 2001; MAP & SAGE, 2010).
c. Social support not only serves as a function of support toward aging but also in dealing with lifelong stigma and discrimination of being LGBT (D’Augelli & Grossman, 2001).
d. Social isolation is also a concern because LGBT older adults are more likely to live alone, more likely to be single and less likely to have children than their heterosexual counterparts. (APA)
#4: LGBT older adults may disproportionately be affected by physical and mental health
conditions due to a lifetime of unique stressors associated with being a minority.
a. Compared to heterosexual older adults with similar demographic characteristics, sexual and gender minority older adults have worse mental and physical health (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al, 2013a; Addis et al., 2009; Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2011).
b. LGBT older adults have higher risks of mental health issues, disability, and higher rates of disease and physical limitations than heterosexual older adults (See Figure 1; Wallace et al., 2011; Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2013a).
c. A larger number of people in one’s social network is associated with better health (Ramirez-Valles et al 2014).
d. Social support has been associated with better health outcomes (White et al., 2009), as a safeguard to stigma and effects of discrimination (D’Augelli, Grossman, Hershberger, & O’Connell, 2001; Silliman, 1986), better general health and higher quality of life (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2015), and decreased depression and internalized stigma (Masini & Barrett, 2008).
e. Fortunately, most older adults do not require caregiving. In 2017, the percentage of older adults age 85 and over needing help with personal care was 22%, for adults ages 75–84 9% and for adults ages 65–74 3%.
b. LGBT older adults have higher risks of mental health issues, disability, and higher rates of disease and physical limitations than heterosexual older adults (See Figure 1; Wallace et al., 2011; Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2013a).
c. A larger number of people in one’s social network is associated with better health (Ramirez-Valles et al 2014).
d. Social support has been associated with better health outcomes (White et al., 2009), as a safeguard to stigma and effects of discrimination (D’Augelli, Grossman, Hershberger, & O’Connell, 2001; Silliman, 1986), better general health and higher quality of life (Fredriksen-Goldsen et al., 2015), and decreased depression and internalized stigma (Masini & Barrett, 2008).
e. Fortunately, most older adults do not require caregiving. In 2017, the percentage of older adults age 85 and over needing help with personal care was 22%, for adults ages 75–84 9% and for adults ages 65–74 3%.