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MISSION

DOORWAYS is an interfaith agency which provides, affordable, secure housing and related supportive services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

 

ASSUMPTIONS

The unprecedented spread of HIV infection has brought with it an epidemic of fear, resulting in the social ostracism and financial devastation of many PLWA’s (people living with AIDS) in the St. Louis Metropolitan community. Safe affordable housing, which is appropriate for diverse individuals during various phases of health and illness, has become a pressing need.


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DOORWAYS serves all people affected by HIV/AIDS regardless of age, color, creed, physical or mental disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and expression, national origin, race, religion, pregnancy, sex or sexual orientation.

Through direct service delivery and the efforts of identified program partners, DOORWAYS’ programs and services benefit those affected by HIV/AIDS in over 94 counties in Missouri and another 56 counties in Illinois.

The organization recognizes a special responsibility to respond to the poorest and most vulnerable of the community. Many of DOORWAYS’ clients have no income at all when they enroll in service, yet no one is denied access to DOORWAYS’ housing because of an inability to pay. Reflecting the picture of the community’s most at-risk, 100% of those who benefit from DOORWAYS’ services live below federal poverty guidelines, 74% are African-American, 32% are women, and fully one-third are children. DOORWAYS primary clients range in age from two to seventy-two.

As one of the most comprehensive AIDS housing programs in the nation, DOORWAYS offers a range of housing options designed to meet the diverse needs of the HIV-affected population. The organization has served almost 6,600 households since its founding, and currently assists over 570 adults and 300 children each month through core programs that include:

  • A Supportive Housing Facility, with 36 residential care units for those who are unable to live independently because of advanced AIDS or acute HIV-related illness
  • A Residential Program, which operates 6 buildings with a combined 99 units of subsidized housing for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS
  • The Own Home Program, which provides over $1 million annually in direct assistance to help individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS find and maintain affordable housing. The Own Home program serves clients in fifteen counties in Missouri and another eight in Illinois.
  • The Next Step Out-State Project provides housing development assistance and administrative support to partners serving people living with HIV/AIDS in 55 counties in central and southern Illinois and another 77 counties in Missouri.
  • DOORWAYS’ Advocacy Program seeks to positively impact policies that affect people living with HIV/AIDS at the local, state and national level.
    		•  DOORWAYS

    DOORWAYS has become a nationally-recognized leader in the prevention of homelessness through HIV/AIDS housing, and has twice been the recipient of a Best Practice Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). DOORWAYS' President, Lynne M. Cooper, D. Min., is a former board member for the National AIDS Housing Coalition, and served two terms on President Clinton's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS in Washington.