Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) unveiled the nation’s first full-time senior center dedicated to LGBT older adults in a ribbon-cutting ceremony today in Chelsea. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, New York City Department for the Aging Commissioner Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams and supporters welcomed the new facility.
In addition to the support SAGE already offers at the LGBT Community Center and at SAGE Harlem, The SAGE Center plans to provide nutritious meals; programs covering health, wellness, workplace skills and other issues; comprehensive social services; activities and leadership opportunities and much more. SAGE will also extend its reach throughout the five boroughs by partnering with community organizations.
“Opening The SAGE Center has been a dream for LGBT older people for many years,” said Adams. “SAGE is thrilled to partner with New York City’s Department for the Aging to create more innovative programs that address the changing needs of LGBT older people. Through this initiative, we are committed to building program models that can be replicated in New York City and nationwide.”
Compared to their heterosexual peers, LGBT older adults are twice as likely to live alone; half as likely to have significant others; half as likely to have close relatives to call for help; and more than four times more likely to have no children. In addition, LGBT older adults face a host of other challenges, such as lack of access to culturally sensitive healthcare, heightened vulnerability to poverty, and unequal treatment under laws designed to protect older adults.
“LGBT seniors often do not feel comfortable in a traditional senior center setting and this launch of a LGBT senior center is another important step in making New York accessible and more age-friendly for all New Yorkers,” said DFTA Commissioner Barrios-Paoli.
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