GLEH Housing for Gay and Lesbian Seniors

GLEH is the nation’s first and premier developer of affordable housing that specifically addresses the needs of the ever-growing elder community who are low-income and living at or near the poverty line. This includes those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and who are living with HIV/AIDS and/or homelessness. As a developer of affordable housing it is imperative that we fully understand not only the issues of building affordable housing, but also the complexity of issues and needs faced by an aging community. Our goal is to combine housing with an innovative service delivery model that addresses and eliminates systemic barriers to healthy aging and independent living confronted by seniors. GLEH has been successful in opening the first affordable housing development in the nation, Triangle Square - Hollywood. With 104 apartments, Triangle Square addresses the unique needs of LGBT, low-income elders in our community, including those living at or below poverty. Our strategic goal is to continue the success of our first endeavour and we are committed to building and developing additional affordable housing units throughout California and the nation.

Through the development of an integrated onsite and community collaborative approach, the Comprehensive Housing Care Project is the cornerstone of GLEH's mission. We have established an affordable housing and social service delivery model that is paving the way for an innovative method of addressing the need for permanent low-income housing, combined with social services that are culturally sensitive and accessible, for some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

GLEH’s Comprehensive Housing Care Project has been designed and implemented as an onsite, integrated social service delivery model that address three main key areas in addition to providing affordable housing. As an affordable housing developer, GLEH provides:

• Housing Retention programs to ensure our elders can maintain their housing
• Aging in Place programs that deal with evolving and long term aging issues
• Health and Wellness programs that enhance quality of life for the elder community.

These areas of focus are designed to meet the needs of low-income/poverty elders and the special needs of the LGBT and HIV/AIDS community. The goal of all our programs and services is to serve as a beacon of hope and empowerment for these vulnerable elders to maintain their independence, health and well-being.

As our society continues to age and grow, so does the need to increase the cultural competency, capacity, and awareness of elder service providers as well as both LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations so that they may appropriately address the specific needs of these highly vulnerable and under-served populations. GLEH offers a Community Outreach – Education and Training service component available to the larger community of service providers, who will inevitably be faced with a growing number of older adults who are LGBT and/or living with HIV/AIDS. GLEH provides in-services for staff, participation on community panels and Continuing Education Training for licensed professionals, as well as community education sessions and conferences that specifically related to these populations.