PITTSBURGH — May 22, 2024 — Presbyterian SeniorCare Network, western Pennsylvania’s largest aging services provider, in partnership with Affirmative Investments, a Boston-based housing developer, broke ground on a 48-unit affordable housing apartment building in Oakland that is friendly for LGBTQ+ seniors. It’s scheduled to open in fall 2025 and will be the first of its kind in western Pennsylvania and second in our state.
“Our Network has a decades-long history of awareness of and support for person-centered care and services for seniors,” said Jim Pieffer, President and CEO of Presbyterian SeniorCare Network. “It is consistent with our mission to serve underserved seniors who need our care and support. It will be an honor to serve this special population of older adults who have been deeply discriminated against over the years.”
More than $28 million has been raised for the project. The project received major support from nine funding sources, including $4 million in low-income housing tax credits from Pennsylvania in 2022.
Donations of land from UPMC, followed by University of Pittsburgh and then nearby Dialysis Clinic, Inc., were crucial early steps that made the project possible, Pieffer said. UPMC and Pitt contributed land at no cost to be used to develop the LGBTQ+ friendly affordable senior housing development under a long-term ground lease.
The groundbreaking event marked the start of construction at the site near the corner of Forbes and Craft avenues in Oakland. Located at the western entrance to Oakland’s business district, residents of the new apartments will have easy access to the university neighborhood, museums, and world-class medical complexes.
At a celebration following groundbreaking, community partners spoke about why they supported the project and leaders revealed the name of the apartment building: Mosaic Apartments. The Network held a contest to name the building and sought suggestions from members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Network received nearly 140 suggestions.
Speakers included State Senator Jay Costa; Maria Montaño, communications director for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey; William J. Bates, board chair of Presbyterian SeniorCare Network; David Ennis, president of Affirmative Investments; Susie Shipley, regional president of The Huntington National Bank; David DiBernardo, residential lending analyst with the Urban Redevelopment Authority; Martin J. Healey, CEO of Persad; Lina Dostilio, vice chancellor of engagement & community affairs, University of Pittsburgh; and Deborah Brodine, president of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital & UPMC Senior Services. Rev. John Creasy of The Open Door Presbyterian Church gave the invocation and benediction.
Applications for residency will be available in approximately March 2025 — about six months before the building opens. In the meantime, the Network encourages interested potential residents to join its inquiry list by sending an email to LGBTQ+friendly@srcare.org.
Presbyterian SeniorCare Network partnered with Affirmative Investments, Inc., a nationally known developer of affordable housing, for this project. This is the fifth project that Affirmative Investments has worked on with Presbyterian SeniorCare Network.
“Affirmative Investments is very excited to help build this important, affordable resource for the LGBTQ+ and Oakland community,” said David Ennis, President of Affirmative Investments.
The Network also partnered with Persad Center, a Pittsburgh non-profit outpatient mental health agency that provides counseling, training, outreach and support groups for the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV/AIDS.
“We’re thrilled to see these beautiful apartments finally come to fruition,” said Marty Healey, Chief Executive Officer of Persad Center. “Many in our senior population experience loneliness and isolation and this is a wonderful opportunity to create community with a positive mental health impact. We’re proud to partner with Presbyterian SeniorCare Network on this exciting project.”
Additional statements from project partners
“Every day at UPMC, we focus on our patients, families, members and communities. This was a community project we were honored to support.”
— Kelly Noel, Vice President of Construction, Real Estate and Facilities, UPMC
“Pitt embraces its role as an anchor institution and a partner in the Oakland community in community-led efforts to increase housing affordability and homeownership. Oakland is one of Pittsburgh’s most welcoming and diverse neighborhoods and we are honored to play a part in these efforts.”
— Lina Dostilio, Vice Chancellor of Engagement and Community Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
“Oakland Planning and Development Corporation enthusiastically supports this inclusive approach to affordable housing. We are grateful to Presbyterian SeniorCare Network for their consistent neighborhood engagement from the beginning of its development.”
— Andrea Boykowycz, Executive Director of Oakland Planning and Development Corporation
