The Residences at Equality Park

The Residences at Equality Park Breakdown:

• “Affordable housing” is for tenants with three to four times the rent amount in income. “Low-income housing” is for tenants with barely two times the rent in income.
• Ultimate project to include 120-130 units
• The Residences will include 48 units. All units (100%) are affordable housing for older adults (55+) earning less than 60% of the area’s median income (AMI), approximately $35,000 annually
• 70% of units (34) designated for low-income seniors living with disabling conditions, such as physical illnesses or disabilities due to complications from HIV/AIDS
• South Florida’s first affordable housing community with customized supportive services for LGBTQ+ seniors
• Proposed Phase II, including an additional 70-80 units, would be developed at some later date
• Over the past two years, The Center has partnered with Carrfour, Florida’s largest nonprofit affordable housing developer in the development of The Residences at Equality Park
• The Residences, coupled with The Center’s growing seniors programming– one of the largest LGBTQ+ seniors program nationwide–will give residents a permanent, safe place to live and support services they need
• Represents the next phase of the master plan for redevelopment of the five-acre Equality Park campus
• The Residences at Equality Park joins a growing national trend in which senior affordable housing communities are being built in conjunction with LGBTQ+ community centers in major cities across the country, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago and Philadelphia
• The Residences will provide both a significant initial payment and annual residual payments, helping secure mortgage reduction and ongoing, long-term fiscal solvency for The Pride Center at Equality Park

Project History

• In 2012, Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing identified a desperate local need in Broward County for affordable housing. (Growing, aging LGBTQ community with limited affordable housing)
• The City of Wilton Manors then approached The Center about addressing local needs and our campus’ optimum location and resources to help meet those needs. The development of multi-family housing mixed with other uses at our location is encouraged in the City of Wilton Manors Zoning Code.
• In 2012, during our Strategic Planning process, the Board of Directors set a goal to evaluate the potential of a senior affordable housing project to be built on Equality Park. Over the next three-and-a-half years, the Board did their due diligence
• During this same time, we updated the Master Plan for our campus. We partnered with TSAO Design in a year-long process, including an extensive Charrette with 65 diverse community leaders to brainstorm and prioritize future campus uses
• Charrette results were presented to the Board; top priorities set our direction. Results were announced and presented to the community. Senior Affordable Housing remains one of the largest, most significant projects identified both by Strategic Plan and Charrette process
• The Center Board cultivated relationships with three top developers in the South Florida area during a multi-year evaluation and assessment process
• In the end, we partnered with Carrfour to submit our first proposal in November 2015 for 130 units, 185 structured parking spots and a 11,000 sq ft community space
• October 2015, Wilton Manors City Commissioners provided demonstration of public support for our application for affordable housing credits from Florida Housing Finance Corporation.