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Long Island is one step closer to getting its first LGBT-friendly senior housing development.
The Town of Islip Planning Board approved a proposal from Bay Shore-based LGBT Network for a 75-unit building at the corner of Park Avenue and Mechanicsville Road in Bay Shore. It will be reserved for residents over 55 years old and making between 60% and 80% of the area's median income (about $35K to $85K per year), Newsday reports. An 8K SF LGBT community center will occupy the ground floor.
In order for the project to begin work, the Islip Town Board must also give its approval. If it does, LGBT Network and development partner D&F Development Group expect to break ground in June and complete the project in May 2020, according to Greater Bay Shore.
The building is set to contain 71 one-bedroom units and four two-bedrooms units, with rents expected to range between $1K and $1,600 per month.
Though the project will be marketed to LGBT residents and maintained as a safe space for people of all sexual orientations and gender expressions, federal housing law prohibits the reservation of units based on such categories in either direction. The center will be a safe space for those later in life who face renewed discrimination as they approach the need for assisted living.
“Some LGBT older adults feel the need to return to the closet in their golden years in order to ensure they will receive quality care or avoid rejection and violence from fellow residents,” LGBT Network CEO David Kilmnick said.
This announcement comes on the heels of proposals for LGBT-friendly senior housing in Brooklyn and the Bronx, signaling a new wave of acceptance-based accommodations for seniors.
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