When it comes to the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, everyone knows the Bay Area is beyond cutting edge.
But when you throw seniors into the mix, it’s not that simple. Historically, services for the LGBT community and services for seniors don’t overlap. Until now.
The first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-friendly senior housing complex in the Bay Area is going to open in Oakland next month. Another in San Francisco may be ready by 2011.
Both facilities are desperately needed, according to LGBT senior experts. And for their designers, they’re personal: both projects are being led by Jewish lesbian architects.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Jewish people are making this happen,” said Randi Gerson, principle architect of Barbary Lane Senior Communities in Oakland.
Gerson, 49, said it’s only natural that it’s Jewish lesbians at the forefront of fixing things that “aren’t quite right” — such as the lack of welcoming housing for LGBT seniors.
“Most acts I take in the world are because of my Jewish upbringing and my Jewish faith,” she said. “I’ve been taught to understand oppression and to understand that oppression is wrong, not just for yourself, but for other people.”
Ruthy Bennett, 42, is the other architect. The senior vice president of AF Evans Development, she is the lead developer of the 55 Laguna project, also known as the U.C. Berkeley Extension campus in San Francisco (because the University of California owns the 5.3-acre site in Hayes Valley) or openhouse (a nonprofit LGBT senior services organization).
“My faith really has a value of assisting people who need assistance,” said Bennett, a member of Temple Sinai in Oakland. “I’m fortunate enough to be able to do that and that’s part of my professional career and my personal life.”
Gerson and Bennett’s respective projects aren’t specifically for Jewish seniors; they are and will be open to members of the LGBT population, as well as anyone else.
Most importantly, they couldn’t come any sooner. There is a senior housing crunch in the Bay Area, according to senior experts, and one of the groups being hit hardest is LGBT seniors.
According to LGBT senior experts, unlike previous generations of LGBT seniors, those in the “baby boom” set aren’t willing to spend their golden years going back into the closet, being isolated from partners or dealing with homophobia and prejudice. On top of that, many LGBT seniors don’t want to leave the Bay Area for LGBT-friendly residences that currently exist in Portland, Ore., Los Angeles and Santa Fe, N.M.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force estimates that there are more than 3 million LGBT people over the age of 65 in the United States. That number is estimated to nearly double by 2030. There are 256,313 LGBT adults living in the Bay Area, according to research from the 2000 census by the Willams Institute at UCLA.
Next month, Barbary Lane Senior Communities will be the first LGBT-friendly senior housing in the Bay Area to open its doors to residents. To start, occupancy will be about 20 percent in the facility, located in the historic Lake Merritt Hotel at the edge of downtown Oakland overlooking the lake.
More applicants are under review, and a grand opening is scheduled for the fall after residents settle into their new homes, said Barbary Lane president Dave Latina.
Gerson is in charge of the design and construction of 44 studio to two-bedroom apartments and two guest apartments. Built in 1927, the landmark hotel recently underwent a $3 million “green” and senior-friendly renovation. Apartments will range from an estimated $3,295 to $4,295 a month with an array of amenities and services included. There will also be an assistance program for low-income seniors.
Gerson said creating community as an LGBT individual is a “natural outgrowth” of being Jewish. “The diaspora, somehow or another, has taught us how to be with each other and how to take care of each other,” she said.
The owners of the Lake Merritt Hotel are Jewish, as well. Randall and Cheryl Berger, members at Temple Sinai in Oakland, saved the Mediterranean art-deco style building from demolition in 1987. Built 80 years ago and designed by California architect William H. Weeks, it had a long life as a grand hotel, eventually becoming part of the Clarion Suites chain two decades ago.
In 2004, the Bergers were searching for a better use for the hotel when Gerson and Latina proposed Barbary Lane Senior Communities to them.
Berger, a former board member at the Home for Jewish Parents (now the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living in Danville), was sold. He said it was an opportunity to bring to his Oakland facility the same warm, caring and respectful environment he saw at the Home for Jewish Parents.
The name of the new facility is based on Armistead Maupin’s classic book series “Tales of the City,” which described a fictional community of residents who lived at 28 Barbary Lane in San Francisco. When approached by the developers about using the name, Maupin said he was “extremely flattered,” and he is now involved with the project. The glass-enclosed restaurant overlooking the lake (which will remain open to the public and available to rent for functions) has been named Madrigal’s Terrace Room after Mrs. Madrigal, the landlady in “Tales.”
Latina and Gerson also have their sights set on creating other Barbary Lane properties in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego and San Francisco.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last month approved the estimated $171 million development project at 55 Laguna St. In an estimated three years, 88 units (out of a final total of 416) will become available for LGBT seniors and others, although preservationists and community groups are still fighting the project.
Gerson, a member of Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley, said she fully understands the desire of LGBT seniors to stay in the Bay Area — their desire to remain a part of their different communities.
“Being Jewish is a community — and we do it really well,” Gershon said. “We’ve done it well for thousands of years.”
For more information about the 55 Laguna project in San Francisco, visit www.55laguna.com. For more information about Barbary Lane Senior Communities in Oakland, visit www.barbarylanesenior.com or call (510) 903-3600 or (866) 450-LGBT (5428)