With San Francisco's LGBTQ residents rapidly progressing to their golden years, housing specific to their cultural needs is expected to be in high demand. In particular, there will be an acute need for affordable options for the city's queer elders, expected to number 30,000 by 2030.
City planners have approved a new 187-unit affordable housing project aimed at LGBTQ seniors to be built along the upper Market Street corridor not far from the heart of the Castro district. It is to be the third such development jointly undertaken by affordable housing developer Mercy Housing California and Openhouse, a nonprofit provider of LGBTQ senior services in San Francisco.
Years ago, the two agencies partnered on the 119-units of LGBTQ-welcoming affordable senior housing split between the buildings at 55 and 95 Laguna Street. The campus, which includes Openhouse's offices and community center, is a short walk from the location of their new 15-story residential tower to be built at the corner of Market Street and Duboce Avenue.
Construction on the $117 million project, however, has yet to begin. Mercy is waiting to learn if its funding request via the state's Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program will be approved by the California Strategic Growth Council and the state's Department of Housing and Community Development.
A spokesperson for the state agency had told the Bay Area Reporter in the spring that the funding announcements should be made "by August." But last week the agency said the "awards are currently under review and a date has not yet been set to announce them."
Even when completed the project will hardly address the hundreds of LGBTQ seniors who would benefit from being able to move into affordable housing units. Thus, the B.A.R. asked this year's mayoral candidates how they would address the issue.
Mayoral candidates respond
Mayor London Breed, one of the seven candidates in the race who returned the B.A.R.'s questionnaire, highlighted how she worked with gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to have the city in 2020 purchase the Sheet Metal Workers Local 104 union hall building for $12 million in order to see the new LGBTQ-affirming senior housing project be built on the triangular lot.
If reelected come November 5, Breed pledged to continue to advocate for more housing at all income levels, which she argued would create more affordable housing for all.
"As supervisor I traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for and create the first Neighborhood Preference policy (2016) which requires 40 percent of units in new affordable housing developments funded by the city and private sources to be reserved for people living in the supervisorial district where the projects are built or within a half-mile of them. This program allows us to prioritize our LGBTQ senior housing and has already led to the creation of hundreds of units for LGBTQ seniors," wrote Breed.
Former mayor Mark Farrell, who represented District 2 as supervisor and is a venture capitalist, contended he has "the boldest housing platform of any candidate" in the race. His plan would see more middle-income and affordable homes built across the city, he argued.
It includes streamlining the permit approval process while eliminating onerous requirements and fees, noted Farrell. As mayor he would push for "targeted upzoning" across San Francisco, which would increase building heights to the maximum in the Financial District, South of Market, and Mission Bay neighborhoods. He would do the same in the city's western and northern neighborhoods along transit corridors and corner lots.
"By drastically increasing the supply of housing and exceeding our state mandate, we will provide more affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, and all San Franciscans," wrote Farrell.
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, who represents District 3, told the B.A.R. he already streamlined the permitting process for new affordable housing in the city. He also highlighted his recently introduced legislation to allow the city to issue tax-exempt revenue bonds for middle class housing so developers have access to low-cost capital.
"I've long been an advocate for affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, in addition to my missing middle housing plan that would dramatically expand affordable housing citywide," wrote Peskin. "Earlier this spring I introduced a new measure to help seniors pay rent through the Housing Opportunity Fund and subsidized rents for extremely low-income housing. This would help pay rent for seniors, including LGBTQ seniors, that make $1,500 a month."
Peskin also said the city needs to protect its current low-income housing stock.
"LGBTQ seniors are vulnerable to rent hikes and evictions, and I'm the only candidate in this race that's promised to expand rent control if the state ban is overturned," he wrote.
Travel business entrepreneur Keith Freedman, a gay Castro resident, echoed other candidates in calling for overhauling the city's planning processes and building inspection department. He wants to see a uniform planning code that takes the city's unique neighborhood characteristics under account and would allow any project that meets the code not have to undergo public review.
"Where rent controls aren't helping seniors (LGBTQ and otherwise), we need to build more affordable housing options, senior care facilities and other things. We can do this now in many cases, by building new housing that can more easily be utilized for assisted living facilities down the road," wrote Freedman. "We just don't consider this when building houses. Ideally people prefer to not move as they age, but have to since they need care. We can think ahead and care can be integrated into multi-family housing as those residents all age."
District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí told the B.A.R. he wants to streamline the housing site permit approval process and assign city planners to guide all projects through the entitlement process. He also wants to maximize height and density along commercial corridors by targeting six to eight story buildings in those areas but also stepping down building heights further away from transit stops.
He also criticized Breed for not fully funding the city's Prop I transfer tax to build and secure affordable housing. He would ensure Prop I funds are spent on affordable housing, including for acquiring apartment buildings that house mainly working and middle-class families through the city's Small Sites Acquisition Program.
"Housing in San Francisco doesn't have to be so divisive. We can all agree that anyone who wants to live in San Francisco should be able to afford to live here. In order to make that a reality, we need to build more housing. Now," wrote Safaí. "That means more affordable housing and more market rate housing for All San Franciscans — including LGBTQ seniors, working and middle-class families."
Daniel Lurie, an heir to the Levi's fortune who later became founder and CEO of the nonprofit Tipping Point Community aimed at addressing the Bay Area's homelessness epidemic, pointed to his plan to reform City Hall that includes closing loopholes and streamlining the city's bureaucracy in order to see new housing be built.
"Many older LGBTQ+ individuals face unique challenges, often aging alone. We will prioritize funding for culturally-competent mental health and housing support, so that those who paved the way during the AIDS epidemic and fought against prejudice have the support they deserve," wrote Lurie. "My City Hall Accountability Plan will expedite housing permits and eliminate bureaucratic hurdles, ensuring more housing is available for all, especially the most vulnerable in our community."
Transit engineer Shahram Shariati, who also works as a residential property manager, told the B.A.R. the city needs to do a better job of educating residents about its first-time affordable homebuyer program, which allowed him to buy his home eight years ago. He also wants to offer incentives to landlords who agree to rent the 60,000 empty units they combined have in the city to individuals paying 30% of their income.
"We also have existing below-market-rate programs for those 62 and older, where rent can be as low as $300 per month. Unfortunately, the average San Francisco resident is unaware of these programs, and the leading candidates never mention them in their platforms," he wrote.
One promotional idea Shariati has is to team with Netflix on a documentary series about the city's politics.
"All elected and appointed officials would be on camera for the entire four years of my term. This would create transparency, forcing officials to either do their jobs correctly or face exposure," he told the B.A.R.
Updated 9/3/2024 to correct the cost of the new development planned by Mercy Housing and Openhouse.
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