February 27, 2007

One of the country's first urban independent-living communities for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors will open in Oakland, CA with leasing beginning March 1, 2007.

The needs of LGBT seniors are presently invisible and largely unaddressed in the senior housing industry due to lack of awareness, discrimination and homophobia. LGBT elders often feel they must go back into the closet if they move into traditional retirement, independent or assisted living. Presently there are over 3 million LGBT Americans over the age of 65, and by 2030 that number will nearly double.

Barbary Lane Communities (BLC) has been founded by three openly gay housing specialists: David Latina, Randi Gerson and Jeffrey Dillon. Their first endeavor is the transformation of one of the Bay Area's landmark properties, the beautiful Lake Merritt Hotel, 1800 Madison Street in Oakland, CA into 46 independent-living apartments. BLC programs are designed to revolutionize resident life experiences for LGBT seniors. Green living is at the also heart of the community, with eco-friendly, energy efficient and non-toxic materials and supplies used throughout, with locally grown food utilizing sustainable agriculture featured in the dining room and even a hybrid vehicle for resident transportation. The team is looking for additional properties to develop in San Francisco, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Diego and New York.

Barbary Lane Communities is named after the diverse, vital and caring group of people who inhabit a lively community on Barbary Lane in internationally-acclaimed author Armistead Maupin's classic Tales of the City novels. Maupin stated: We are the world's first openly gay generation. Most of us spent the first quarter of our lives in hiding and have no intention of going back there for the last ... That's what excites me about Barbary Lane Communities. It's a place where every letter of LGBT -- and their straight friends, of course -- can continue to love without boundaries. That's very good news for us all."

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