by Catholic Charities – July 27, 2021

Catholic Charities has been at the forefront of HIV/AIDS compassionate care since the 1980s when the AIDS crisis devastated San Francisco and our community. We stepped up when others turned away from those suffering and dying from AIDS, opening Peter Claver Community, the first of our round-the-clock, intensive residential care facilities for the chronically ill (RCFCI). Subsequently, we added Leland House, Derek Silva, Hazel Betsey, and Rita da Cascia Communities to the cadre of Catholic Charities programs serving the HIV/AIDS community. Respect, dignity, understanding, and exceptional care remain the foundations of our five programs dedicated to the care and well-being of members of this community.

Today, through the significant progress made in medical interventions and care, people living with HIV/AIDS live longer and have better health outcomes than ever before. Many in our care are eager and ready for greater independence. Thanks to a new San Francisco model of care for those living with HIV/AIDS, they now have this opportunity, although it means a change for us at Catholic Charities Leland House Community.

Beginning in September, Leland House will be managed by a new provider, PRC, chosen by the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Development (MOHCD) to operate the new Transitional Residential Care Facility (TRCF) model. Those living at Leland House will have more autonomy and care reflective of their minimized healthcare needs, while individuals with greater care and 24/7 nursing needs will transition to other City-funded facilities like Catholic Charities Peter Claver Community.

We embrace this change in the model of care that is best practice. It signifies tremendous progress in the care of those living with HIV and is a significant step forward for the community we have served since the 1980s. While we will no longer be running Leland House, we remain as committed to the HIV community today as we have been throughout the last four decades. We will still operate our four other programs dedicated to serving this community after the Leland House transition.

We are proud of the pioneering work we have done for those living with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco and our contribution to the progress of care that continues to change lives. We remain dedicated to this vital work.