Officials to Talk LGBT Seniors, Housing at Center on Halsted

While construction crews are ready break ground on a new housing center meant for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered seniors, the Center on Halsted will soon host a group of experts preparing for the new generation of gay seniors.

Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders – or SAGE – is pulling together a panel of Chicago leaders from area organizations on Wednesday to highlight the changes LGBT seniors and elders of color are currently going through. It’s all a part of the “Chicago Provider Panel on Diversity and Inclusion,” and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Along with Heartland Housing, a nonprofit specializing in affordable housing, the Center on Halsted will soon break ground on a six-story LGBT-friendly senior facility directly next to its community center in the heart of Boystown. It will be one of the first of its kind in the nation.

“This panel convenes at a pivotal time, as the demographics of older people in the United States (are) rapidly changing,” the event’s statement reads. “Elders of color and (LGBT) elders together will represent a majority of older adults in this country by 2050. Yet they face profound economic insecurity.”

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The statement cites a lack of services for the elders like specialized health care. That’s why leaders like the executive director Heartland Housing are coming together in hopes of making a change. Other panelists include the senior services director at the Center on Halsted and the director of diversity initiatives from the Alzheimer’s Association. 

“The panel will feature top leaders from Chicago’s LGBT and aging organizations who will highlight the progress that their organizations and communities have made towards being more responsive to these diverse populations, as well as discuss the infrastructure and policy changes needed to better meet the needs of historically underserved elders,” the statement continue.

The Panel on Diversity is open to the public and scheduled for Wednesday at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted Street, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Also, read an in-depth report about the Lake View’s newest LGBT-friendly senior home here on Patch.

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