Despite a discriminatory Congressional GOP-led removal of funds intended to support LGBTQ organizations, Gretchen Van Ness, executive director of LGBTQ Senior Housing — the Bay State nonprofit that lost $850,000 budgeted for The Pryde senior housing project in Hyde Park — vowed the housing project will go on as planned.
Explained Van Ness in a statement:
On July 18, 2023, Congressional Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee targeted LGBTQ Senior Housing and The Pryde and removed our Community Project Funding, along with two LGBT community centers in Pennsylvania, from the 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bill. Our statement is below.
Know this: The Pryde will open in Spring 2024. We will finish the work of creating a safe, affirming and fabulous housing community for low income and economically vulnerable older adults that embraces and welcomes our beloved LGBTQ elders and allies. We will make history together.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us since the news broke last night with messages of support and love. We stand tall today and every day because of you.
In a further statement, LGBTQ Senior Housing shared that:
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who represents our district that is home to The Pryde, continues to fight to reverse this decision. Our champion on Capitol Hill is committed to seeing The Pryde open on time and as designed, with all of the amenities that make a house a home. We are in constant communication with her office.
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey have joined the fight. We are working with our phenomenal U.S. Senators to identify and secure federal funds and keep the pressure on Congress to stop using the appropriations process as a cudgel to harm our most vulnerable and marginalized citizens.
Support for The Pryde is broad, deep and growing. From the Hyde Park community to Boston City Council to the Massachusetts State House, community and elected leaders have condemned this decision. Local and national media also have picked up the story. This publicity helps keep the pressure on Congress to reverse course.
We are standing with the William Way LGBT Community Center and the LGBTQ Center of Greater Reading, both in Pennsylvania. In addition to The Pryde, Republicans struck Community Project Funding for these two vital community centers in Pennsylvania. We have reached out to both centers to express our support and offer our help. Community centers are a lifeline not just for LGBTQ youth, but for seniors as well. We will keep you posted and ask you to keep these communities in your thoughts and hearts.
Share widely with your networks that The Pryde is moving forward as planned! The Community Project Funding we lost would have closed the gap between the capital funding we’ve received to date and the increased costs of the project. We are working hard to replace that funding.
Take a moment to thank Congresswoman Pressley for her fearless leadership. Call (202) 225-5111 or email using this form: https://pressley.house.gov/contact-us/
Support The Pryde with a donation or pledge now. Every dollar donated gets us closer to completing The Pryde and opening our doors as the amazing and welcoming community we deserve. Make a donation today, or set up a monthly pledge in any amount, which will be put to work immediately. Rallying your family and friends for an on-line or in-person Pryde fundraiser is a great way to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and any important occasion. House parties are one of our most favorite things! You can make a donation here.
More: lgbtqseniorhousing.org
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