You’ve Heard of NIMBYs And YIMBYs, But What About QUIMBYs?. ‘Queers in My Backyard’ Forms to Support Affordable Housing
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The National “Yes In My Backyard” advocacy group announced a new cadre of affordable housing supporters just in time for Pride Month: QUIMBYs.
Queers in My Backyard is specifically dedicated to the intersection of the LGBTQ+ community and housing, organizers announced in a June 4 press release.
“At YIMBY Action, we recognize that individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences often face unique challenges in advocating for housing, finding stable and affordable homes, and engaging meaningfully in their neighborhoods,” the news release states. “That’s why our Identity Groups exist — to create a space where YIMBYs with shared identities can connect, relate, and, if they choose, advocate for housing issues that matter most to them.”
Interested parties are invited to fill out a quick survey and join QUIMBY.
LGBTQ+ Housing Projects in Dallas
Just one year after a groundbreaking, the highly-anticipated Oak Lawn Place, an affordable housing development for LGBTQIA+ senior citizens will open next month.
Federal Home Loan Bank of Texas, which awarded $750,000 to the project last year through its affordable housing program, is hosting a media tour of the complex at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, June 25.
The five-story, 84-unit apartment complex, which also serves those affected by HIV and AIDS, is the first of its kind in Texas.
Resource Center of Dallas CEO Cece Cox said at the June 2023 groundbreaking that the nonprofit is seeing and serving a larger number of LGBTQIA+ seniors, “most of whom have struggled to live in a world that has been hostile to them for most of their lives.”
“As a result of not having been able to marry, we have fewer financial assets, are less likely to have health insurance, and have fewer support networks such as biological family and children who can care for us as we age,” Cox said. “Oak Lawn Place is a beacon of perseverance, hope, and love and will help fill that gap with welcoming, inclusive access to affordable housing.”
Resource Center of Dallas launched a $4 million capital campaign to fund the project.
The Oak Lawn Place apartments are at 5723 Sadler Circle.
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Want someone in your backyard? Rent them a room. But if they can’t afford your hood, they gotta search for somewhere else over the rainbow, just like everybody else.
Dear Imani Williams,
You may know that the Oak Lawn neighborhood has long been a City of Refuge for its LGBTQ+ residents. Nonetheless, Oak Lawn Place will be open to all and an “Affirming and safe place for the LGBTQ+ community.” I believe that LGBTQ+ seniors with limited incomes and individuals impacted by HIV disease deserve “over the rainbow” safe housing that meets their needs, especially within their long-standing neighborhoods. I do not know if you generally support construction of low-income housing; however, I further believe that attractive, well-maintained affordable housing and accompanying residents enhance neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Hedda