Funds Have Supported the Construction of 74 Units of High-Quality, Service-Enriched Affordable Housing for Seniors in Boston

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BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) visited Hyde Park to celebrate the $850,000 in federal community project funding they helped deliver, in partnership with Senator Elizabeth Warren, for The Pryde, an affordable housing development for LGBTQ+ seniors in Hyde Park. The federal dollars, secured at the end of the Biden-Harris Administration, have supported the conversion of a former Boston Public School building into 74 units of high-quality, service-enriched affordable housing for seniors in Boston.

Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey toured the facility and participated in a roundtable discussion with residents and community partners. Joining them at the event were Gretchen Van Ness, Executive Director, LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc., The Pryde leadership and staff, and residents and community members.

“While the Trump Administration attacks our LGBTQ+ siblings and guts essential housing programs, I’m so proud to help deliver these funds and help seniors in the Massachusetts 7^th access the affordable housing and community space they deserve,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “It was a joy to join Senator Markey and our advocates to see the progress being made at The Pryde, and I am more resolved than ever to continue advancing housing justice and help our elders age with dignity.”

“The Pryde is setting the gold standard for what affordable senior housing should be,” said Senator Markey. “I’m so proud of the joyful community created here by our advocates and partners who know that every LGBTQ+ senior deserves a safe, dignified place to live. It was wonderful to join Representative Pressley today in celebrating this funding for The Pryde, and I’m grateful to have her as a champion fighting with me to protect our LGBTQ+ community.”

“Building communities likes The Pryde would not be possible without the support and advocacy of our Congressional delegation. We are forever grateful to Congresswoman Pressley for refusing to back down when Republicans stripped Community Project Funding from the House appropriations bill, and we are forever grateful to Senators Markey and Warren for joining in the fight to restore that funding,” said Gretchen Van Ness, Executive Director, LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc. “The federal Community Project Funding awarded to LGBTQ Senior Housing supports low-income seniors and the underserved Hyde Park community with innovative programs and services that celebrate and serve some of the most vulnerable and marginalized elders in our community. Congresswoman Pressley’s tireless advocacy and support has helped make The Pryde a model for welcoming affordable senior housing for the nation.”

“The Pryde represents what is possible when federal, city, and non-profit leaders unite behind a shared goal of creating a community where every resident feels safe, valued, and at home,” said Age Strong Commissioner Emily K. Shea. “Through this strong public-private partnership with LGBT Senior Housing, Inc., we are delivering the innovative housing and programming that every older adult in Boston deserves.”

Photos from the event are available here and video is available here.

The funding was included in a series of FY24 government funding bills and was passed after Rep. Pressley worked closely with Senators Warren and Markey to secure the funding after Republicans callously stripped it from a House appropriations bill.

In November 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she slammed House Republicans for advancing a housing appropriations bill that excluded critical funding for The Pryde and affirmed her support for the project and the LGBTQ+ community writ large.

Rep. Pressley championed funding for The Pryde in this year’s Community Project Funding process. The project – which despite Republicans’ bigoted ideological opposition to it – met the requirements for Community Project Funding and will support the conversion of a former Boston Public School building into 74 units of high-quality, service-enriched affordable housing for seniors in Boston. The project will also include 10,000 square feet of community space and help close the gap between the capital funding secured at the launch of this project and the increasing cost to complete it.

In 2022, Rep. Pressley delivered remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for The Pryde in Hyde Park. Full video of the ceremony is available here and photos are available here.

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