Homeless HIV/AIDS Facility Welcomes Single Men and Children
Bethesda House in
Los Angeles County, Calif., is not only the state's largest
residential care facility for homeless individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS,
but is also one of the few such facilities in California that
accepts single men and their children, the
Los Angeles Times reports. The facility has
housed 38 men and their children, though most residents bringing
children are women. Anne Calvo, former executive director of
Bethesda House and current divisional health advisor for the
Salvation Army, said, "I think we've stereotyped the type of
person who we expect to see in the AIDS community. For some
reason, ... (single men with children) have slipped through the
cracks." Bethesda House, "where people learn to live with the
disease," includes a rooftop playground, day care and a nurse
available 24 hours a day. Director Doug Loisel said that the
facility's goal is to "bring stability into [residents'] lives,
assisting them with the rigorous medication needs of HIV and AIDS
patients and with job training and education to facilitate
independent living." The program also emphasizes parenting
skills. Loisel explained, "They have opportunities to interact
with their children without having to worry about the whole
plethora of peripheral problems. So what we see is parents
learning to be better parents. We have high expectations in that
regard" (Noriyuki, Los Angeles Times, 11/1).
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