LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Britain\u2019s first LGBT+ retirement home is set to open in mid-2021, the housing association behind the London riverside apartments said on Tuesday, highlighting a growing market of older people who do not want to be forced back in the closet.<\/p>\n
There is a critical need for housing for older LGBT+ people, said Anna Kear, chief executive of Tonic Housing, as many say it would be \u201cterrifying\u201d to live in a predominantly straight home where other residents did not accept them.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople say that if they get to that stage, they would rather (die by) suicide than go into a heterosexual care home or sheltered housing environment, which is just awful,\u201d she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.<\/p>\n
With an ageing population, the demand for specialist housing for older people is growing, with private retirement units accounting for 0.6% of British homes and worth about 29 billion pounds in 2018, according to the estate agency Knight Frank.<\/p>\n
Tonic Housing, which works to address loneliness in older LGBT+ people, is selling shares of up to 75% in 19 apartments designed by renowned architect Norman Foster in the Bankhouse retirement community, which has a roof terrace by the Thames.<\/p>\n
The housing association secured a 5.7 million pound loan from London mayor Sadiq Khan to buy the apartments in the borough of Lambeth, where almost 6% of residents identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual \u2013 the highest percentage in England.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur approach to services and support will not just be \u2018LGBT+-friendly\u2019 but genuinely affirming of the lives, histories, needs and desires of LGBT+ people,\u201d Tonic Housing said on its website, adding that sales would start in a couple of months.<\/p>\n
\u201c(This) does not imply exclusion of those who do not identify as LGBT+, but actively values those who respect and celebrate LGBT+ people,\u201d it said, estimating that Britain has more than 1 million LGBT+ people over 50.<\/p>\n
While the scheme is set to be Britain\u2019s first LGBT+ retirement centre, they are relatively common in the United States, where the number of LGBT+ people over 50 is set to more than double to 7 million by 2030 from 3 million today.<\/p>\n
The percentage of Britain\u2019s population that identifies as gay, lesbian or bisexual is steadily rising, from 1.6% in 2014 to 2.2% in 2018, official data shows.<\/p>\n
There is a clear shift among younger people – a little more than half of 18- to 24-year-olds say they are only attracted to the opposite sex, an Ipsos Mori poll found last week.<\/p>\n
Stephen Lowe, a spokesman for retirement specialist Just Group, said Britain could see more LGBT-specific retirement centres in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonic Housing\u2019s village looks to be … a good example of the market responding to changing demands,\u201d Lowe said.<\/p>\n