Philadelphia Inquirer (04.16.12) - Monday, April 16, 2012
Today, Mayor Michael Nutter and Mark Segal, founder and
publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News, will announce an $11
million state tax credit for senior housing for the LGBT
community.
"In their golden years, LGBT seniors need a safe and loving
place to grow old," said Segal, who has been advocating for
the project for more than three years. "This is going to
change the lives of so many people."
The credit paves the way for the construction of a six-story
building with 56 one-bedroom units, located on South 13th
Street between Locust and Spruce. The facility is slated to
open in late 2013. Residents must be 62 or older, though not
necessarily LGBT, to live there. It will have a community
center, retail space, a garden, and areas where social service
agencies can offer assistance.
Donald Carter, co-founder of the city's Log Cabin Republican
chapter and a longtime mentor for AIDS Action, applauded the
effort. "It would be nice when one is approaching one's dotage
to have the comfort factor" of a nonjudgmental community, he
said.
In addition to the $11 million tax credit, $8 million in
public funding will support the $19 million project, which
will be constructed by Pennrose Properties LLC.