March 5, 2008

A Place to Live (Media Release).

Concerns over living arrangements as one grows older are common. However there are extra challenges faced by the LGBT population due to the lack of equality in our society. A Place to Live highlights those unique obstacles in a thought provoking new documentary.

A Place to Live

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

The explosive growth in our nation’s aging population coupled with the recent housing market crash has set the stage for a major crisis. Until now, no one has addressed how this issue is impacting gay and lesbian seniors, individuals who have long been denied fundamental human rights and often struggle to make ends meet.

Join us in the creation of A Place to Live, a historic documentary that will chronicle the journey of seven brave individuals as they attempt to secure a home in Triangle Square, the nation’s first affordable housing facility for LGBT seniors. Your financial contribution is critical to help us complete the film and ensure that their story is told.

*****

For the seniors featured in the documentary, their future is anything but certain. Each participant faces a number of personal challenges:

· Margo must work two jobs in order to pay her rent, but with her failing health she won’t be able to keep it up.

· Art is lonely and isolated in his Section 8 Housing unit in east L.A. He yearns to live in a community of his peers.

· On the verge of homelessness, Karen’s only option is to move to a rundown trailer park in El Monte. It’s the best her sons can afford for her.

· Don’s house is old and falling apart, but he can’t afford to fix it. The roof is already leaking and the raining season has just begun.

*****

Although each senior applied for an apartment in Triangle Square, they are not guaranteed a unit. Since demand far exceeds the number of available apartments, a lottery system was set up to determine who will be selected. A Place to Live is an exploration of the applicants’ personal stories and the journey that brought them to the lottery. If they are chosen, the building is a dream come true - a beautiful, safe place to grow old, in the company of their peers. If not, many seniors will be forced to remain on the fringe of our community hoping for another lifeline to appear.

We need your support in order to share these intimate, thought provoking stories with our community. Please act now by going to the link below and making an on-line tax-deductible donation to the project. Donations can also be sent to the Center for Independent Documentary at the address below. Any amount of money will make a significant difference in our efforts. If we can raise $36,000 by the end of April, we can finish the offline edit, music score and obtain archival footage.

Together, we can make certain that those who fought for many of the rights we enjoy today are guaranteed a voice in the struggle for non-discriminatory affordable housing. The documentary, A Place to Live is that voice.

“The people living with HIV at my age deserve to have a life, to have dreams –

I do and I’m making the best of this box I live in,

but I also have a dream to live in Triangle Square.” Art Aguirre

We thank you.

To donate online, follow this link and select “A Place To Live” from the drop down menu asking for the purpose of your donation:

Or send your check to:

Center for Independent Documentary

680 South Main Street

Sharon, MA 02067

Please note “A Place To Live” in the memo section of your check.

Bittersweet Productions & NoCo Media Group