"For its participants, Openhouse + On Lok Community Services is more than a day center. It is the place where they feel safe, supported, and seen. Over the past year, all of us at Openhouse + On Lok Community Day Services have taken time to deeply listen to LGBTQ+ seniors-to understand what people are feeling, what they are missing, and what they need to stay healthy, independent, and connected to the community they love."
"But the heart and soul of the center is not our beautiful space, our state-of-the-art equipment, or even our services; it is the people who walk through its doors each day. The program continues to grow into a reflection of the seniors themselves, as it was intended to be-by the community and for the community. And, as they made the place their own, our participants even gave it a new, affectionate nickname: Club 75."
Openhouse + On Lok Community Day Services addresses isolation, fear, and aging-related challenges among LGBTQ+ seniors by reconnecting them with care, support, and peers. The program launched in 2021 and creates immediate feelings of safety and inclusion for LGBTQ+ elders. The center combines a welcoming, well-equipped space with person-centered programming while centering the people who attend. Participants shaped the program and affectionately nicknamed it Club 75. Club 75 operates Tuesday through Friday for San Francisco residents aged 55+, providing meals, personal-care assistance, transportation, and life-affirming social activities that celebrate queer identity. Fees are on a sliding scale and scholarships increase accessibility, and the center also functions as an alternative care setting for On Lok PACE enrollees.
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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