Florida’s First Affordable Housing Unit for LGBTQ+ Seniors Opens in Broward

LGBTQ+ senior citizens in South Florida have a new housing option in Broward County. The Residences at Equality Park, on a five-acre campus north of Fort Lauderdale in the City of Wilton Manors, is the first affordable housing project in the state with services supporting the population — which is often overlooked and discriminated against.

It’s a $15.3 million project that developers say acts on an urgent need for affordable housing in South Florida.

Miami-based Carrfour Supportive Housing, Florida’s largest nonprofit affordable housing developer, and The Pride Center at Equality Park, one of the country’s largest non-profit LGBTQ+ community centers, teamed up for the development.

Carrfour served as the project’s developer, operator and service coordinator, and The Pride Center provides on-site services including service linkage, senior support groups, wellness workshops, recreational activities, a speaker series, cultural events, exercise classes and community resources.

“In working with our partners at The Pride Center, we identified housing in the area as a challenge for seniors – especially among LGBTQ seniors who face discrimination, bias and sometimes even hostile treatment from landlords as well as fellow tenants,” said Stephanie Berman, President and CEO of Carrfour Supportive Housing, in a press release. “The Residences, coupled with The Pride Center’s growing LGBTQ+ seniors’ programming — one of the largest of its kind nationwide — gives residents a permanent, safe place to live and customized, culturally proficient support services they need to age in place.”

The four-story apartment has 48-units, which are open to residents. The housing development offers a safe place for senior citizens from ages 55 and up to gain access to affordable housing and on-site services for those who are low-income and living with conditions such as physical illnesses or disabilities due to diseases like HIV/AIDS.

Amenities include a fitness center, library and computer room. The Equality Park campus also includes approximately 30,000 square feet of office and meeting space for programs and services.

The units in The Residences at Equality Park range from studios to two-bedroom apartments, with rent ranging from $800 to $1,000 per month.

Permanent supportive housing for low-income seniors make up 34 of the units, while 43 are reserved for residents earning less than $35,000 a year in a one-person household, and $40,000 a year per two-person household, which is 60% or less of Broward County’s median income.

Five of the units are assigned to those making less than 33% which is $18,000 a year for a one-person household and $20,000 per year for a two-person household. 

“More than ever, there is an incredible need for affordable housing here in South Florida,” said Robert Boo, CEO of The Pride Center at Equality Park, in a press release. “We are humbled to have witnessed the transformation of our campus in partnership with the other nonprofits at Equality Park. Together, our capacity to positively impact the lives of our diverse community continues to evolve and grow.”

The Residences at Equality Park is Carrfour’s first completed development in South Florida’s Broward County. The organization recently opened a 36-unit affordable housing community in Palm Beach County.