In the Fight Against AIDS, a House That Stands Out
With its airy design, sweeping architecture and sun-splashed atrium, the house on Santa Ana’s Garfield Street could have been plucked out of Coto de Caza.
After two years of construction, the $4.2-million, 24-bedroom house is the first residence in California built to shelter homeless people who have AIDS or are HIV-positive. While other facilities have been converted to hospices, never has a shelter been built exclusively for such tenants.
There is no shortage of guests for the two-story Craftsman-style Emmanuel House, which will have its dedication and opening today in the city’s historic French Park neighborhood.
An estimated 1,147 homeless people with HIV or AIDS live in Orange County, yet there are fewer than 60 beds designated for them, not including Emmanuel House, according to Philip Yaeger, director of housing for AIDS Services Foundation Orange County.
“This is just a drop in the ocean and it’s not going to solve the issues, but we’re helping it,” said Larry Haynes, executive director of Mercy House, which will run Emmanuel House. Mercy House, a Catholic agency in Santa Ana, runs two nearby homeless shelters and provides other services for local homeless people.
“We just need to stay vigilant.”
The foundation and Mercy House are developing criteria--those with nowhere else to turn, those with the most pressing need for shelter--that will be used to prioritize an initial wave of tenants, said George Smith, housing case manager at the foundation.
The project took much longer than expected because no one had built such a facility from scratch before. A different site had earlier been picked but was abandoned for logistical reasons. And the house plan nearly tripled from its original 6,000 square feet, said Delene Garbo, spokeswoman for HomeAid Orange County. HomeAid, a nonprofit that helps build and renovate shelters for the homeless, undertook Emmanuel House as one of its largest and most costly projects.
While the land was donated and $600,000 in government money was tapped, the bulk came from donors, fund-raisers and corporate gifts, Haynes said.
HomeAid Orange County oversaw the construction and Mercy House agreed to operate the shelter. The Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God will serve as live-in staff in three of the bedrooms.
The idea for the shelter was originally proposed by Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido, who said he was sold on the notion after meeting a group of nuns who were raising funds to help AIDS patients and encouraged him to build a hospice. After years of planning, the “dream is coming true,” Pulido said.
The name Emmanuel, chosen by Father Jerome T. Karcher, founder of Mercy House, means “God is with us.”
“This is to remind our residents, no matter what, God is always with us,” Haynes said. “The name is meant to encourage hope and tell them they are not alone in the universe and that they all have dignity.”
Charlie Maldano said it is easy for people who are HIV- positive like him to fall on hard times as their health declines.
“I initially became depressed when I found out I was HIV-positive and I didn’t have the emotional stamina and energy to look for a place,” said Maldano, 39. His vision became impaired, he lost his job and he had to rely on friends to help him stay off the streets. He recently found housing in Tustin through the AIDS Services Foundation Orange County.
Because Emmanuel House guests will be fighting two battles--homelessness and the immunodeficiency virus--the home was designed with warmth in mind. It breathes earthy colors, has broad windows, an oversized porch and a large stone fireplace in the living room. There is a large dining room, a patio, a sun deck, a library and a prayer room, which will eventually become a chapel. Hardcover books are stacked on wooden shelves in several rooms. Officials said residents will be allowed to stay up to two years before moving on. Mercy House will help them find more permanent housing and is now trying to develop some of its own.
The project has been embraced by French Park neighbors, who say Mercy House’s reputation and cooperative attitude with its two other shelter projects, Joseph House for men and Regina House for single mothers, helped them accept the latest plan.
“Mercy House worked with us and listened to us,” said Paul Giles, president of the French Park Neighborhood Assn. “At first, there were some concerned residents, but Mercy House took the time to explained everything to us, and this is an asset to our community.”