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About 15 years ago, the headline of this column was “The Pie in the Sky Project.” It marked the first public announcement of a project by the dmhFund: an LGBTQ+ senior affordable housing project with a projected budget of $20 million. Today, you know this project as The John C. Anderson Apartments (JCAA), celebrating its 10th anniversary this week. At the time, no LGBTQ+ project in Pennsylvania had ever undertaken such a large endeavor, and more importantly, there was no federal designation for LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing projects with federal, state and city investment. We set out to change both.
In truth, the board of dmhFund had diligently worked on the project for about two years prior to that column. By that point, we had nearly all the pieces together. Along the way, we faced challenges. Two other parcels of land we negotiated didn’t pan out, leading us to secure the property where the building stands today. Some bureaucrats viewed the designation of LGBT as discriminatory, yet they didn’t view Catholic homes in the same light at that time. We insisted that LGBT be prominently featured in the name and on the building itself. Finding a developer we could work with was a challenge, but Pennrose became that partner under the direction of Jacob Fisher.
Securing the support of elected officials like State Rep Mike O’Brien and Mary Issacson was crucial, and they became our champions who navigated the way. All of this was coordinated by and represented by dmhFund, with Micah Mahjoubian at the helm. This week, we will honor all three for their service to our community.
This project was a labor of love for the board. No one on the board received any compensation as a consultant or salary, a rarity among organizations undertaking such a complex endeavor.
We all knew LGBTQ+ seniors who were being forced out of the communities they had helped build. We knew others who were mistreated in other senior homes simply because of their identities. But more importantly, we realized that building community means taking care of the most vulnerable among us. We wondered why other communities had affordable senior apartments, and if they did, why not ours?
I believe this project was one of the largest undertakings any of us had ever been a part of, and it changed the nation. It led to the establishment of an LGBT federal designation, and we soon became a White House Champion of Change Project under President Barack Obama. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), under Assistant Secretary Raphael Bostic, recognized us as an example for other cities to follow. To date, more than 20 cities around the nation have successfully replicated our plan. Once completed, the building went on to win numerous awards. But the real story here is that hundreds of LGBTQ+ seniors have had a place to live as their true, authentic selves.
There are countless success stories of seniors who have lived at what we affectionately call JCAA. There was the 98-year-old man who, for once in his life, could be himself openly. There was the lesbian who lived elsewhere and couldn’t have her partner of 30 years visit overnight. There was the man who lived in a facility where the staff tried to “pray the gay out of him.” The most astonishing thing about the project was how the residents became vibrant members of the community, thriving in their involvement with community organizations.
The building would not be a reality without the full support of its board. Each time there was a setback, they didn’t just fold up and walk away. They would say, “Let’s move on and find a solution.” Dan Anders, Judith Appelbaum, Larry Felzer, Rob Metzger, your belief in this vision continues to inspire me to this day. Thank you for bringing LGBTQ+ senior affordable housing to the nation.
And if you’re wondering about the name dmhFund, it honors Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, who founded the first LGBTQ+ organization in 1897 called the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee. I am absolutely sure he would be honored to know that his pioneering spirit lives on more than a century later.