in fact, given the baby boomer generation, that generation is aging, and we know that number will continue to increase. this is often a population, lgbt seniors, who, frankly, and i say this as an lgbt man, we do not get -- i know it has taken some time perhaps to get the attention this issue deserves, but the reason why i am so proud that we are here is because we have the lgbt members of the board of supervisors working together to make sure that we shed light on this important issue. and i'm very proud to have been able to work with supervisor wiener, who has taken a very key leadership role in this. and, of course, we have been joined by our newly appointed supervisor, supervisor olague, who has hit the ground running. one of the first thing she did was co-sponsored this hearing. we know that lgbt seniors face a number of issues. depending on their health status, housing situation, immigration status, or family situation, those issues can be compounded and complicated. we are part of a very diverse community, we who are lgbt. today, what we wanted to do in this complicated and important issue, we wanted to frame the discussion by inviting to the hearing experts on the issue have have been working on this for some years. you'll be hearing today from people who have been doing this for a long time and who know the specific challenges that this community faces. week as a kenyan elite are not monolithic. i'm a gay latino man who also happens to be an immigrant. there are socio-economic issues that come into play. it is important that we are honest about how we talk about the needs of this perverse community. and the beginning of this discussion, not the end. our hope is that out of this discussion we can also think about specific steps that can be taken at the local city government level to address this issue. i like to especially thank bill from the human-rights commission for helping to coordinate this hearing, and i also want to acknowledge and the audience to recent parks, it was the director of the human rights commission for the city and county of san francisco for her leadership -- to reset parks. and with that, i will turn it over to a supervisor winner. i want to think supervisor winner and supervisor olague for their great work on this. supervisor wiener: thank you, and what a pleasure is to have three members of the lgbt community on the board of supervisors. we have increased our ranks by 50%. when i was sworn in, i had spoken about my aunt who is now 70, and who came out before stonewall. she was helping take care of people through the height of the hiv aids crisis, some of the worst days, and she was always a mentor to me as a young gay man coming out so many years ago. when i think about all of the people who really were at the vanguard of the lgbt civil rights movement, helping us survive through the early days of a chevy-aids, -- hiv aids, these are people who we actually need to cherish and make sure that as people age, we as a community are sticking together and do with what we need to do. aging is a growing issue in san francisco generally as our population within the lgbt committee, there are some unique issues. we know about issues around and come and jobs. of course, for all seniors, including lgbt seniors, issues around discrimination unique to lgbt seniors. we heard stories of people had to go back into the closet when they go into retirement communities or nursing homes. issues are around housing, the expense of housing, issues around people losing an apartment and not being able to afford to stay in the city. but also another issue have been trying to raise and have more front and center, issues around architectural barriers. we want seniors to be about to age in place and be up to stay in their homes. for some seniors to have stable housing, they own their homes or have an apartment there secure in, but more and more it becomes difficult for them to stay there because of stairs or other architectural barriers, and i represent other neighborhoods including the castros, which is a huge concentration of lgbt people, and it is an aging population. castro is expensive. that are not as many young that lgbt people as there were before, and we have a wonderful and beautiful housing stock that is not particularly accessible. i selfishly, as representative to this neighborhood, but to make sure that holder lgbt people can stay in the caster. it is really situated in that neighborhood. i hope that we bring the issue of architectural barriers more to the forefront, because it is a key issue around aging in place. finally, health care. we now have more and more people living with hiv who are aging, and there are some unique issues around growing older, living with hiv, and some of it is learning. so we need to focus on that. and also the broader issue of hiv, we're going to be really struggling next year with the $4 $25 million -- $4.25 million it cut to the ryan white budget process. we have to fight to make our commitment. before i start bringing up some of our speakers, i want to give supervisor olague an opportunity to make some comments. supervisor olague: thank you to supervisor wiener and campos for giving me the opportunity speak tonight. i'm used to being on the side. members of the shack collaborative, which is the senior housing action collaborative. one of the issues we have raised is the time centered around the condition of seniors who are aging in place, particularly those who live in single room occupancy hotels. what i was funny when i was working as a senior advocate network advocate, it was impossible to find immediately available housing for people who were trying to transition from homelessness into housing or or in homes that were may be rent- controlled places 20, 30 years, had been here since the 1970's, 1980's. we have a lot of that that kind of prohibits what we can do sometimes locally, but we have lost a lot of folks to evictions and things in the past few years. what we found that was most of the housing that was immediately available was affordable housing and single occupancy hotels, so we started looking at the conditions there and the quality of life and the circumstances of the people who reside there. so i am hoping at some point that we will have the discussion today, but maybe it is time to have one conversation instead of a lot of separate conversations about aging in place, and then specifically, of course, we will keep an eye on how different populations are aging in place in san francisco and issues experienced by those populations. as a bisexual woman, i am very aware. it's very stuffy and other areas of the country. i lived in the central valley. it was not very welcoming. for many folks, this is a community, especially as we are aging out -- i'm 50, i came here when i was 23 -- we have seen a lot of changes, especially aids, agency. i know the lesbian population and san francisco has been shifting in part to to maybe choices in where they want to live, but also a lot of folks have been priced out of the city and it ended up in the east bay. i remember when valencia at artemis cafe, i could name the list. it was very centered, and that does not exist. i am not sure if there are many lesbian bars left in the city. so i think we need to figure out a way to make sure this is a safe place, where members of our community can remain, because for us, many of us, as i have said before, during the hearing at 55 laguna, for many of us is not just out an option to relocate to other cities that are less tolerant. this is kind of something that is very critical, that we find ways to keep our community safe and here in san francisco. so i hope, again, as i mentioned earlier, we can have a broader conversation to talk about seniors who are living in shelters and what that looks like and housing issues and how we find more housing for seniors, and also as supervisor wiener mentioned, how we make sure that folks who own their homes remain in their homes. some people want to stay there, but they did not have the means to up keep their property. there are a lot of issues, but i think for our community, it is particularly sensitive because there are multiple reasons why we choose to be in san francisco, and is not a trade- off of available housing in hand. it is not an option for us to leave the city. we are here for very specific reasons that in some ways are tied in with tolerance. i'm happy to be part of this conversation. i hope that a working group comes out of this. we are tired of having the same conversation. we have seen several reports on aging in place, seniors, and there are a lot of findings, but how we start a working group that can implement some of these findings, working with the three of us up here, try to find ways to legislate some of these things. there's a lot of work to do. we are in challenging times. but mental health services is something i'm very committed to. ii think the least we are starting to conversation today. supervisor farrell: thank you, supervisor olague. we will start with a few five- minute presentations, and then we will go into public comments. supervisor elsbernd: first of all, for those of you standing who are coming in, we do have an overflow room down the hall. please feel free to have a seat there. also, for those who want to speak in public comment, we have elis speaker cards. -- we have yellow speaker cards. we will be calling folks in order. and the sheriff's deputies have some as well. lastly, supervisor campos and i have two committees today at the same time, so at 2:00, supervisor campos and i have to go to our other committee. we will be doing at the bit of musical chairs in about 30 minutes, just to let you know, but we are all very interested in this topic and look forward to being here for the time we are allowed. supervisor elsbernd: thank you, we will start with anne executive director of aging and adult services, followed by the executive director of open house, and then we will proceed from there. >> first of all, but you for inviting me to the hearing, thank you for having the hearing. different hearings, either through our commission or other places, various topics, but we have yet to have this kind of conversation on lgbt seniors. thank you very much. there are three things that really impact how we age. there are genes, which we cannot do a lot about. then we have lifestyle and environment. although city departments cannot do a lot about jeans, we can through planning, public policy, funding, funding decisions, a program designed impact in the influence the second and third. the lifestyle and environment. i think we often tend to think that lifestyle and environment are things we have a lot of influence over, and we do to some extent. we know that type 2 diabetes is cost from obesity, so we have the ability to think that through and try to figure out, is that where we are going or not going? and are certainly other things we have choices about. but then there are other things, that have come up already in the comments, such as fixed low income, frailty, isolation, which impact our environment and lifestyle in ways that provide us with fewer choices. all of this is further compound it when you add discrimination and being marginalized and having other things that go on in our society around us. all of these things are part of lifestyle and environment. older adults are really just like any other population of people. we are all different. we have things in common, things that we share, things that we hold dear to us, things that make us have a successful life, but we are all different. i think it is important to remember this, especially when we think about our public policies, what are we going to fund and what are we going to do. the population, as supervisor campus mentioned, the older adult population is growing. the boomers are taking over the world and the day now, and that is certainly true for lgbt seniors as well. the whole population is growing. are we ready for that? no, i don't think anyone is ready for that. it has our public policy caught up with the fact? we talked about all of the events that take place in our community, but, no, we have not been able to, especially in these difficult economic times, to think about what is going to happen in our community and across the country as this population explodes. we know we will have a growing population of folks with disabilities. we know that if you have a chronic disease in your 50's you will take it with you probably in your sixties, seventies, and 80's if you are lucky. what have we done to try to maximize the dollars we have and to think about the future? i was struck by the comment about the plans to get done, but they did not get worked on. but i will comment on that. the department has for many, many years funded programs within the community that the they're particularly targeted lgbt seniors for, as part of their mix of people that were serving lgbt seniors. all other programs, such as the center for alders, the institute of aging, case management programs, these are all things we kept an eye on and were aware of. about 10, 12 years ago it became part of a 16-committees around the country that form the community partnerships for older adults and young adults with disabilities. this really opened a door for us and away we have not had before. as part of that war, we formed a communications workgroup and lgbt partnership group. the lgbt partnership group, just as the other groups that were meeting, put together a plan and put to other ideas and things they thought or durable within an environment where the money was. there was a lot of money, but what could we do? they came forward to our commission, give a very interesting report. part of that report was a request that we as a department found about $20,000 for an education program they had been running and had just lost their funds for. we were pleased to be able to do that, because it is very clear, especially talking about issues of discrimination and march solicitation, that if you don't educate the people around you, if you always have the expectation that people just know and will do the right thing, we have missed the boat. that was our first experience pushing that out. the idea was a mixed to educate seniors, but more importantly at that point was to educate community providers, senior centers and other places, so if somebody walked into a senior center, that could be assured of being feeling like home, or at least know that people in the center had been trained and educated and so on. things we have done since then include the oldtimers strategic plan, -- the old-timers strategic plan, which is a plan because we know that alzheimer's disease is an escalating crisis in our community and across the country. but now the fastest-growing age group is the 85-plus group, and want out of every two has dementia. we know that there are a number of things -- we know there are certain chronic diseases that can have a bearing on what you have diabetes, thyroid disease, tumors, and aids. what are we going to do in our own community? this is a 10-year plan, we have an oversight committee, and they're working and moving ahead, so it is something to keep an eye on and make sure that we are covering our basis. we also want to make sure to mention that in the preceding years and subsequent years, we have been funding an open house. at what the way about a year or so ago. open house stepped into that void and really took on the center with the walls, the nimbleness to move around the community and do the things that need to be done with various groups of people who may not feel comfortable in coming to the senior center. at the same time, we have been funding the castro senior center, which is a more integrated setting, although a much smaller environment. we have introduced a public occasions campaign to make sure that people know where to go to find information related to services. the conversations of putting pictures on the wall and tried to determine whether or not that was enough, we are interested in our offices. it was easier to identify some of the populations. but it was done, and it was done with the kind of sensitivity and i think the new onslaught and the need that we recognize in the community. -- it was done with the nuance and the need that we recognize in the committee. we have been making sure that people all across our committee have access to the communication things that will be needed, that are needed in the new age. i am certainly available to take a questions, but i know that you have a full house and another room that is probably packed by now of people who want to speak today. supervisor farrell: thank you so much, -- >> thank you so much, anne. i like to thank you for calling this hearing. and thank you, supervisor farrell, for chairing this important meeting. open house was founded in 1998 to enable san francisco lpg seniors to overcome the unique challenges they face as they age. our goal is that every lgbt senior be able to live in a safe and stable housing that is affordable to them, at whatever their income level may be. we want them to be welcome and appropriately served, and we want them most importantly to be engaged in their committees of choice, which is such a key to healthy aging. 25,000 lgbt seniors live in san francisco. the baby boomers are coming. that will only increase. it is important that we have a strong housing and aging services infrastructure that is open and welcoming to this large and growing population of lgbt seniors. kellen to talk about three general areas -- housing, community services, and partnerships, key to growing need. in 2003, there was a need assessments done by the human rights commission, and again and 2006 there was a report that identified affordable lgbt welcoming housing as one of the most important priorities for lgbt seniors. lgbt seniors arctic to the vulnerable in this regard because they're much more likely than heterosexual peers to live without partners or children or support from their families of origin. the circumstances create enormous is challenges come economic challenges, which forced many lgbt seniors to leave behind their friends and families of choice in san francisco. but supervisor olague and wiener mentioned this, see news or face with the untenable choice of wanting to stay in their community are being forced to leave to the east bay, fresno, back to their families, places that may not be as welcoming or have the community that have relied on. many lgbt seniors are subject to the ellis act defections. we get many calls about that. those choices are all too often extraordinary. we managed to place about 70% of the seniors that we work with, either in housing or on a wait list for future openings, but when it will ever be picked from those waitlists is anybody's guess. we have a job to do to organize the lgbt senior community to be far better represented in the lotteries that determine who will get access to this incredibly scarce resource of affordable housing in san francisco, that requires outreach, education, resources, money, and it is a top priority at open house. open house is built in 110 units of senior housing that will be welcoming to lgbt seniors or low income. with significant support from the mayor's office of housing, we're moving forward with all of the pre development work, and we anticipate having final approval from the planning commission sometime later this year. with the elimination of the redevelopment agencies and the deep, deep cuts at the federal level and affordable housing, we have no idea what will be happening with the program next year. the city funding must be prioritized for this project with the next few funding years. literally, our ability to get funds relies on the paper, to get from lines on a paper to the shovel and the ground depend entirely on the city's decision to prioritize this critical project. i want to talk about services. our goal is not only to provide housing but the services and resources needed such that those who move into those buildings will be up to remain healthy and independent and in their new home for as long as they choose. this is also our goal for lgbt seniors who may live in a market rate senior housing or other affordable housing facilities or their own home in the caster. again, supervisors talked about this. it is really important that we have the services in place that will ensure that lgbt seniors have the access to the committee-base services that support health, and pundits, civic engagement, and quality of life. the services have to be readily available so that lgbt seniors can live in their own homes, where that may be, and in their communities of choice. the research is unmistakably clear that lgbt seniors are much less likely to participate in general committee activities and access the service they need because they feared judgment, rejection, and compromised care. as a result, they did not disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity, and at even greater risk to their health and well-being, there remained isolated without access to import and community services, and we have to change this dynamic. the open house committee served 600 lgbt seniors next year, and we expect that number to grow if not double. for active lgbt seniors and for those who are at risk for social isolation, we organized hundreds of intellectually stimulating activities and opportunities for civic engagement for lgbt seniors who may have other needs or at our risk for unnecessary hospitalization or premature institutional is asian, would provide a broad range of social services to assist them in maintaining their health and independence. as a result of our programs, 84% of the participants last year said there were better able to remain independent as a result of our services, and 82% said they felt much more connected with our community. we are really appreciative of this program. our city contract is significant, but it covers about half the cost of the program. it is certainly subject to the yearly cuts with ever diminishing resources. but the demand and the

Related Keywords

Central Valley , California , United States , Kenya , Fresno , San Francisco , Kenyan , Scott Wiener ,