BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Mayor Michelle Wu, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and other officials attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for New England's first LGBTQ senior housing development Friday.
The Pryde in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood is the first community development for LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc. The project transformed the former William Barton Rogers Middle School into 74 income-restricted rental units for seniors aged 62 and up.
"We are here today to give back and to make history," said Mayor Wu. "Pride isn’t just a month, it’s a movement toward a future where no one has to hide who they are, to be at home in a place where they are safe, seen, and loved."
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Gretchen Van Ness, Executive Director at LGBTQ Senior Housing, called the new community a life changer.
"We heard the story of the 65-year-old man who has lived in veterans housing for four years, has never met another gay person there, and has not made a single friend," Van Ness told the crowd. "We met the trans woman who lives in the closet, fearful every day of losing her apartment if her landlord finds out who she really is."
The Pryde also includes a fitness center, on-site laundry, outdoor courtyard, and a 10,000 square foot community center with a kitchen, event hall, art studio, library, and education center.
Seniors will move into the building over the next two weeks.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.