D.C. Opens Its First LGBTQ Senior Housing Community
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon on Mary's House for Older Adults, the first dedicated housing community for LGBTQ seniors.
The first housing community in the District of Columbia dedicated to LGBTQ seniors is opening its doors.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon in a ceremony at Mary’s House for Older Adults, located in D.C.’s Fort Dupont neighborhood, at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 8.
The ceremony featured remarks from special guests, including Councilmembers Robert White (D-At-Large) and Wendell Felder (D-Ward 7), high-profile agency heads within the Bowser administration, and Dr. Imani Woody, the president and CEO of the housing community.
Mary’s House offers 15 affordable, apartment-style units explicitly designed to support LGBTQ seniors through housing, health and wellness programs, and access to community services.
The communal space offers a range of shared amenities for residents, including a reception area, rooftop terrace, kitchen, dining space, library, computer room, game and crafting areas, and an exercise room.
Inspired by her late father’s experience in long-term care, Woody, the founder of Mary’s House for Older Adults, has sought to create a living community for LGBTQ seniors for over a decade.
The plot of land where Mary’s House is located was once the site of Woody’s childhood home, and the project is named after her mother.
Mary’s House has received nearly $1 million from the Housing Production Trust Fund, a special revenue fund that provides gap financing for affordable housing dedicated to serving District residents from low- and moderate-income households.
About 14% of D.C.’s population, or 98,000 residents in total, live in affordable housing, which has become increasingly scarce in the United States.
To that end, Bowser recently announced that her Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal will include a $100 million investment into the fund to support the production and preservation of affordable housing.
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