Our Story
In 2014, the Coalition for Aging LGBT (CfA LGBT) began conversations on how to best provide LGBT-affirmative senior housing in North Texas. It was decided that encouraging existing communities to engage in LGBT competent practices throughout the region was the most effective way to meet the needs of the LGBT community. In 2016, Dr. Dawnetta Miller, the chair of the CfA LGBT Housing Committee, began conversations to develop an appropriate metric to evaluate a senior housing community’s “LGBT friendliness.”
In December 2017, the CfA LGBT Housing Committee hosted a kickoff for the North Texas LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Initiative, where interested senior housing communities were educated on the issued and presented the opportunity to sign up for the program. In January of 2018, Brian conducted a volunteer orientation for the Housing Committee volunteers to become “team leads” in working with senior housing communities to pass the initiative’s LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Metric.
The Coalition for Aging LGBT, its Housing Committee and volunteers, are very proud to present our inaugural North Texas LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Guide. We hope this will be of immediate and long-term use to LGBT seniors and their friends and family looking for safe, affirming housing, and as a best practice guide for other senior housing communities looking to improve their standard of care for all residents.
The Coalition for Aging LGBT, its Housing Committee and volunteers, are very proud to present our inaugural North Texas LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Guide. We hope this will be of immediate and long-term use to LGBT seniors and their friends and family looking for safe, affirming housing, and as a best practice guide for other senior housing communities looking to improve their standard of care for all residents.
Coalition for Aging LGBT
A Brief History
In 2014 we began what is known today as the Coalition for Aging LGBT (CfA LGBT), after the organization began researching the population numbers and needs of the aging LGBT Community in the four-county area of the Dallas-Ft. Worth (Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, and Collin) in the years of 2013 through 2015. With the help of the Williams Institute at UCLA, we learned that the population of this four-county area of lesbian and gay residents age 45 and older is at 295,000 and will continue to rise in the next ten years to 400,000. Then a survey was launched to assess the needs of the community. The top two concerns of the respondents were housing and social engagement.
Finding transitional/senior living communities that are respectful and culturally competent of LGBT individuals was identified, overwhelmingly, as the most pressing need for aging LGBT community (91.5%).
60% of single people living alone said that they did not have or were unsure if they would have a reliable social network to assist if they became ill or had an accident.
48% of respondents 65 or older are single, living alone.
The initial focus of CfA LGBT was to create programming where we could work with existing service providers in the DFW area to assess their LGBT Cultural Competency and make that information available to the public, with the initial area of housing – and also, the important focus of social engagement and addressing isolation. This isolation occurs to those aging in place (at home) and those who are living in senior communities and have gone back into the closet because they are unsure if they are in an open and LGBT-welcoming environment.
After years of organizing and working together, the organization acquired its 501-c-3 designation, and held its inaugural Board meeting on Saturday, July 25, 2015, with 12 Directors seated. The organization has added two other services areas of “Advocacy & Education” and “Healthcare”.
Finding transitional/senior living communities that are respectful and culturally competent of LGBT individuals was identified, overwhelmingly, as the most pressing need for aging LGBT community (91.5%).
60% of single people living alone said that they did not have or were unsure if they would have a reliable social network to assist if they became ill or had an accident.
48% of respondents 65 or older are single, living alone.
The initial focus of CfA LGBT was to create programming where we could work with existing service providers in the DFW area to assess their LGBT Cultural Competency and make that information available to the public, with the initial area of housing – and also, the important focus of social engagement and addressing isolation. This isolation occurs to those aging in place (at home) and those who are living in senior communities and have gone back into the closet because they are unsure if they are in an open and LGBT-welcoming environment.
After years of organizing and working together, the organization acquired its 501-c-3 designation, and held its inaugural Board meeting on Saturday, July 25, 2015, with 12 Directors seated. The organization has added two other services areas of “Advocacy & Education” and “Healthcare”.
Acknowledgements
|
|
Please note...
The information contained herein is for education and general information purposes only. The Coalition for Aging LGBT makes no representations about, and in no way guarantees, the completeness, accuracy, reliability, or suitability of the information contained herein for any purpose whatsoever. Users rely on the information contained herein strictly at their own risk. Users are cautioned to perform their own independent investigation before making any decisions whatsoever with respect to whether any housing community is suitable or appropriate for them or their needs. The Coalition for Aging LGBT makes no warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, with respect to the housing, goods, or services offered and provided by the housing communities referenced herein. In no event shall The Coalition for Aging LGBT be liable for any losses or damages whatsoever – of any and every kind – whether direct or indirect, actual or consequential, arising out of, relating to or in connection with, the use of this guide. This housing communities referred to herein are not under the control of The Coalition for Aging LGBT.
The Founding Supporters of the annual North Texas LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Guide
|
|
|
|
What is the North Texas LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Initiative?
Originally launched in December 2017, the North Texas LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Initiative is a program of the Coalition for Aging LGBT (CfA LGBT), designed to empower senior retirement communities to provide safe, welcoming housing options, and connect them to LGBT seniors and their friends and families looking for a home. We recognize that education and relationship-building are essential, as many service providers are interested in improving their LGBT cultural competency, but require greater support on this journey.
This online guide is the result of years of relationship-building, support, and hard work between our CfA LGBT volunteers and the dedicated staff of various Senior Retirement Communities in the four-county area of North Texas (Dallas, Denton, Tarrant, and Collin counties). Each of these communities has attained a passing score on our LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Metric. The Metric covers areas such as LGBT-friendly policy updates, LGBT cultural competencies, procedure changes, staff training, programming, outreach, and marketing enhancements. The goal of this standard is to increase the visibility of the LGBT community and to form explicitly LGBT-affirming practices and LGBT cultural competencies in each community.
This online guide is the result of years of relationship-building, support, and hard work between our CfA LGBT volunteers and the dedicated staff of various Senior Retirement Communities in the four-county area of North Texas (Dallas, Denton, Tarrant, and Collin counties). Each of these communities has attained a passing score on our LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing Metric. The Metric covers areas such as LGBT-friendly policy updates, LGBT cultural competencies, procedure changes, staff training, programming, outreach, and marketing enhancements. The goal of this standard is to increase the visibility of the LGBT community and to form explicitly LGBT-affirming practices and LGBT cultural competencies in each community.