A program aimed at gay seniors and
sponsored by an LGBT community center in downtown Chicago received
nearly a half million dollars in federal funding Tuesday,
ChicagoPride.com
reported.
The Center
on Halsted, located at 3656 N. Halsted, will use the one-year
$475,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
to fund special projects administered by the Services and Advocacy
for GLBT Elders (SAGE) program, including HIV educational efforts
aimed at gay seniors and LGBT cultural competency training for
insurance service providers.
Illinois Representative Mike Quigley,
an established gay ally, praised the announcement.
“SAGE directly addresses the unique
challenges of LGBT seniors by seeking to assist and improve their
quality of life, which has often been marked by discrimination and
inequity,” Quigley, a Chicago Democrat, said in a statement. “I
will never stop fighting for equality and treasure the opportunity of
representing SAGE in my district.”
An estimated 40,000 LGBT adults over
the age of 55 live in Chicago, according to the Center on Halsted.
“This grant will assure that LGBT
seniors are given the best opportunity to lead safe, healthy,
dignified and fulfilling lives,” Modesto Tico Valle, CEO of the
Center on Halsted, said.