The Landing at East Point to offer LGBTQ+ Friendly Senior Living

After living a long life of authenticity, older LGBTQ+ adults are sometimes forced into hiding when they enter independent living facilities. “Watching folks brave enough to come out, then have to go back into the closet after entering supportive housing was heartbreaking to me,” says Dr. Jodi L. Glass, a member of the board of trustees at Aldersbridge Communities, Rhode Island’s largest provider of affordable assisted living.

Aldersbridge also offers independent housing, outpatient rehabilitation, and health navigation services designed to help older adults remain active in their communities. When Rick Gamache became CEO in 2017, he recognized that a significant demographic was being overlooked by his organization. “Members of the LGBTQ+ community often face discrimination when they are living in or being cared for in assisted or independent living facilities,” Gamache says. “They’re bullied or shunned. They feel as if they have to hide and not be themselves.”

Seeking a way to provide much-needed support to LGBTQ+ adults, Gamache reached out to Glass, a longtime colleague and community activist, and asked her to join the Aldersbridge board. In his request, Glass saw an opportunity to realize a long-held dream. “I’ve been an activist my whole life and have always wanted to work toward creating housing for LGBTQ+ elders,” she says. Part of her lifelong activism is working with Pride in Aging RI, a non-profit that focuses on the unique needs of senior citizens in the LGBTQ+ community. “We used to offer cultural competency training to leaders in assisted living facilities. They’d say, ‘You can come in, but we don’t have any members of that community here.’ But I knew they were there and afraid to be themselves,” she says. When she joined the board and suggested they work toward opening an independent living facility for LGBTQ+ folks and their allies, the board required little convincing. “They just did the right thing,” she says.

That decision set in motion an eight-year journey to create Rhode Island’s first independent living facility for LGBTQ+ individuals. “We’re at that point on the roller coaster where you’re just about to go over the top,” Gamache said of the process. “This is going to happen this year.” Aldersbridge will break ground on the $18 million project, named The Landing at East Point, in mid-2026 with an anticipated opening of December 2027. It will be located in the East Point housing development in Rumford where 39 apartments in one building will be designated as affordable, independent living units for LGBTQ+ adults and their allies. Rent will be capped by policy, making the housing accessible to individuals living on Social Security or modest pensions. While the facility cannot legally exclude non-LGBTQ+ residents, Gamache expects the culture to be self-selecting. “People who are homophobic would be uncomfortable living there,” he says.

Even though the groundbreaking is still months away, demand has exceeded supply. Aldersbridge already has a waiting list of 44 people for 39 apartments. “We knew there would be a demand,” Gamache says. “But we didn’t realize how strong the need was.” Community support has been equally strong. East Providence Mayor Robert DaSilva, city officials, law enforcement, and the project’s developer have all been strong supporters of the project.

For Glass and Gamache, the goal is simple: to create an environment where people who have lived their whole lives with dignity can continue to do so in their elder years. Aldersbridge is betting that safety and authenticity can cohabitate beautifully in East Providence.