Boston’s first LGBTQ senior housing community is officially open.
Mayor Michelle Wu, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll joined developer Pennrose, LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc. and other local elected officials and residents for the grand opening last week.
The Pryde is the state’s first LGBTQ-affirming, income-restricted housing community for seniors.
Located in the historic former Barton Rogers Middle School in Hyde Park, The Pryde was designed for Boston residents aged 62 and older. It includes 74 income-restricted rental homes, along with a 10,000-square-foot community center for hosting programming and services for residents as well as local events, meetings and more for the Hyde Park community.
Eight of the units are reserved for households transitioning out of homelessness or those in need of rental assistance. Three more are deeply affordable and earmarked for seniors with incomes up to 30% of the area median income (AMI). Seven units are available for households earning 50% AMI and 32 units are for a two-person household earning less than 60% AMI. Eight are for households earning up to 50% AMI and 16 will be set aside for 100% AMI.
The residences are a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments on the first, second and third floors. Each apartment is a renovated former classroom designed to be accessible and barrier-free with bathrooms that can accommodate mobility devices, kitchens with wall ovens and levered door handles and cabinet pulls for ease of use.
The building also has elevators, central air conditioning, on-site laundry, residence lounges and a sunroom, as well as large event and gallery space, classrooms and a fitness center.
“Making Boston a home for everyone means ensuring that residents can live in the city they love with safe, affordable housing that is welcoming to all,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This new development is an incredible asset to the neighborhood, offering not just beautiful new housing, but also access to gardens, an art studio with gallery space and an active community space.”
Gretchen Van Ness, executive director, LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc, called the opening of The Pryde a “monumental step forward for inclusion and diversity in Boston.”
“The grand opening of the city’s first LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing community fulfills a critical need for our most vulnerable older adults,” Van Ness said. “The Pryde is more than just apartments – it is a community where everyone, no matter who they love or how they identify, can live with dignity.”
Sen. Warren called the development “a transformative addition to the community that gives LGBTQ+ seniors access to the safe, welcoming, and affordable housing that they deserve.”
Located near shops, restaurants and several cultural and outdoor amenities, including the Menino Arts Center and the public library, the Pryde is also close to the MBTA commuter rail stops for the Fairmont and Providence lines.
“The Pryde will serve as an incredible reminder of the importance of inclusive, equitable and affordable housing,” said Lt. Gov. Driscoll. “This new building offers an affordable space for LGBTQ+ seniors and provides them with a built-in community where they will always feel seen and included. We’re grateful to all of the partners who helped bring this building to life.”