“Today is a historic day in Washington, D.C., as we witness the commissioning of Nick Harrison,” Jennings and Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Kara Ingelhart said in a statement. Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal, the LGBTQ litigation organization that represented Harrison in his lawsuit and who attended Harrison’s commissioning ceremony, called the court ruling and the Biden administration’s decision not to appeal the ruling an important advancement in efforts to remove barriers to people with HIV who wish to serve in the military. The memorandum states that individuals “who have been identified as HIV positive, are asymptomatic, and who have clinically confirmed undetectable viral load will have no restrictions applied to their deployability or to their ability to commission while a service member solely on the basis of their HIV-positive status.” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a memorandum announcing changes in the military policy that would allow members of the military with HIV to be deployed and become officers in accordance with the court ruling. Two months after that ruling, the Biden administration announced it would not contest the court ruling in an appeal, and a short time later U.S. That house will be demolished to make way for the new, larger seniors home. The current smaller house on the property was her childhood home. She has said the property has been a part of her life. Woody said the construction of the new building was expected to be completed by the end of 2024. In response to a request from the Blade, Merritt said the total development cost for the new Mary’s House LGBTQ seniors residence is $11.6 million. Housing Finance Agency, Wells Fargo and its Growing Diverse Housing Developers program, Capital Impact and its Equitable Development program, National Affordable Housing Trust and its black Developer Capital Initiative, and Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women program,” Merritt states. Department of Housing and Community Development, the D.C. “This project would not be possible without the financial and advisory support of Mayor Bowser and the D.C. “We are excited to build D.C.’s first affordable, communal living space for older LGBTQ/SGL individuals,” she said in the statement. government agencies and several other companies that have become involved in helping to finance the new Mary’s House residential facility. Gina Merritt, the principal and founder of Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, identifies in the joint statement the D.C. Council members Robert White, Anita Bonds, and Vincent Gray, who represents Ward 7 where Mary’s House is located, participated in the ceremony. “The District is heavily involved in this very important affordable housing for the LGBTQ community,” she said. Woody say it’s been a project that’s 10 years in the making,” Bowser said. Organizers said the Mary’s House property, located a short distance from the school, was not large enough to accommodate the number of people that attended the groundbreaking ceremony. “We’re thrilled that this is advancing,” Mayor Bowser told the Washington Blade after she, other city officials, and supporters used shovels to ceremoniously “break ground” in a school yard outside Kimball Elementary School, where the ceremony was held. “Mary’s House intends to meet the emotional, recreational, social and other similar needs of older adults through health and wellness programming, referral of community and social based services, and education and advocacy,” according to the statement. “The mission of Mary’s House is to develop housing and inclusive environments that comprehensively address affordability and access and diminishes the constant worry of discrimination or even violence based upon the LGBTQ/SGL status of the individual,” the statement says. The statement says the upper two floors will include the residential units as well as a game room, an arts and crafts room and common areas for storage, seating, and a laundry facility. The three-story building will include on its ground floor level “common spaces such as a reception area, great room, porch, kitchen, dining, living room, and administrative offices,” according to a joint statement released by Mary’s House and Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, a D.C.-based development consulting firm that has entered a partnership with Mary’s House for the new LGBTQ seniors home. Woody told the gathering that with the support of the city and private sector backers Mary’s House was “creating a brick-and-mortar residence for 15 people who identify as LGBTQ/SGL without fear of reprisal or discrimination.” She added, “They can bring their whole selves to 401 Anacostia Road, S.E.”
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