On Monday we announced that “The Pie in the Sky” project, which was made public about two years ago, is now a reality. (Read the story on page 1.)
This is how we put it in these pages almost two years ago:
“We call it the ‘Pie in the Sky’ project. For many of us, it’s the most ambitious project we’ve ever undertaken. To find a home, a safe place to give our LGBT seniors to live; to bring them a home to thrive in their very own community. I have no illusions that the proposal has many more milestones to meet. It is not a done deal yet. And it will take the support and input of the entire community and our elected officials who have committed to follow through on this dream.”
Last Thursday, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency met to decide which projects would be awarded tax credits this year. I’m happy to report The Pie in the Sky project was awarded in that very competitive field.
The project is now fully funded at $19 million. It is, as the mayor said during the announcement, the largest LGBT-friendly capitol-building project in the United States. The White House and HUD spotlighted the project as “pioneering innovation in U.S. housing solutions for low-income LGBT seniors.”
We’re moving very fast, and for that reason it hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m still doing my thank-you’s, and, as we all know, I’m bound to forget someone.
The list is as big as the project: two governors; Mayor Nutter; the Philadelphia Congressional delegation, particularly Congressman Bob Brady and Sen. Bob Casey; the Pennsylvania Senate and House leadership, with a special shout out to Rep. Mike O’Brien and Mary Isaacson. There are so many more, but two groups that need special thanks. One, our community. Thank you for your overwhelming support. After our shaky beginnings, that support over the last year is heartfelt. And a personal thanks to the board of dmhFund, whom I am proud to say is the best board I’ve ever served on. They were professional, pragmatic and always found a way to move forward. “No” was never an option for them.
I’ll finish where I began: We have many more hurdles to jump, but the question is no longer will it be built but, rather, when is the ribbon cutting?
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. He can be reached at [email protected] .