RESOLVED, That the Chapter direct the Provincial Council seriously to consider the health needs of victims of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in this country and if at all possible, to have the resources of the Province made available to those patients in the most effective, efficient and productive ways possible. (December 13, 1985)
With this resolution, the wheels were set in motion for the creation of a ministry project for people with the viral disease AIDS. In 1986, a Provincial Assembly convened by Brother Felix Bettendorf, Provincial, reaffirmed the intent to provide some type of service, and a resolution was passed which made it possible to begin planning an AIDS nursing home for the Chicago area.
After searching for several months for an appropriate site, it was decided that a nursing home was not feasible because of the lack of suitable facilities and the costs of purchase, repair and maintenance. The Cardinal's Pastoral Letter had identified the need for adequate housing for persons with the AIDS virus. Often these people would be abandoned by friends and relatives, unable to work or afford housing. The Brothers decided that an assisted living project was the best way to move forward.
Working closely with the Archdiocese of Chicago, the response to the problem of health care and support for men and women with AIDS or ARC was a residential facility "Bonaventure House", named after the founder of the American Province, Brother Bonaventure Thelen. The facility was not a hospital or hospice; rather, it provided room and board, pastoral and psychosocial counseling, and support groups.
In 1986, Bonaventure House was set up as a subsidiary Corporation of Alexian Brothers of America under the direct control of the Immaculate Conception Province. The next year, the Archdiocese of Chicago offered the Brothers the use of the former St. Sebastian Parish Convent and part of the parking lot for the establishment of Bonaventure House. $200,000.00 was also pledged by the Archdiocese to help with the renovation of the building and other aspects of the project.
On August 10, 1987, Brother Frank Souza, C.F.A. met with the members of the St. Sebastian Parish Council and Father John Flavin, Pastor. The project was approved and announced in the Parish Bulletin. This was the first public announcement of not only the location, but also the intent of the Alexian Brothers to establish an assisted living project for persons with AIDS and ARC.
Once the venture became public knowledge, a statement was released jointly by the Alexian Brothers and the Archdiocese, and on September 3, the two leading Chicago newspapers carried extensive articles about the project. The next day The Chicago Catholic had the story on the front page, and the three major television networks reported the story and interviewed persons involved in and affected by the project, as well as giving the story coverage on both the early and evening news.
The building that was to become Bonaventure House originally contained six apartments, which were then renovated to accommodate the fifteen Sisters of the St. Sebastian Convent. It was located in Chicago near Illinois Masonic Hospital, which was known and respected for its work with AIDS patients. As part of the Bonaventure House project, the building had to be gutted, refurbished, the asbestos removed, and an addition constructed to add needed sleeping space, chapel, Brothers' rooms, common areas, offices, kitchen and dining room.
The next step, before any of this construction could take place, was to file an Application for a Special Use Permit and a Variance on Set-Back Requirements for the building. In order for this to be done, property owners within 250 feet of Bonaventure house were notified and a hearing date was set for November 13.
At this time, a group of about eight neighborhood residents organized "Lakeview Neighbors United to Preserve Residential Integrity" in direct opposition to the Bonaventure house plans. The objections were to the exterior appearance of the expanded building (too institutional), garbage (could be dangerous), the creation of a dangerous situation in the area (increase of violent crimes) and that it could "disrupt the residential nature and family orientation of the community." This group approached the existing neighborhood association "Central Lakeview Neighbors" at their regular monthly meeting with accusations of a "halfway house", "drug addicts" and "disoriented individuals wandering the neighborhood." Although the Central Lakeview Neighbors were not very supportive of the opposition, the group continued to be a force to be reckoned with and succeeded in gaining a continuance for the hearing of November 13.
The new hearing date was set for January 22, 1988 which was to be a special meeting of the Chicago Board of Zoning Appeals. In the interim, the Alexian Brothers met with several members of the opposition to address some of their concerns. The architect was consulted about the possibility of re-siting the planned addition to the convent so that the set-back requirements would be met. This eliminated the need for a variance on the city's requirements. It was also determined that the facade could be altered to enable the building to blend into the neighborhood by making it appear less institutional.
The residents were also concerned that in the future, the site would be used as a halfway house for the mentally ill or for drug addicts. This concern was put to rest by a statement from the Archdiocese that the facility would not be used for either of these purposes if, in the future, the need for an AIDS residence declined. These compromises alleviated the concerns of many of the neighborhood residents; however, there remained a small group that still opposed the project as a whole.
The January 22 hearing was held before three members of the Planning Commission of the City of Chicago. Expert witnesses on behalf of Bonaventure house spoke in support of the project. After the professional testimonies, individuals spoke about their support of the project, and letters from Howard Brown Clinic and the AIDS Pastoral Care Network were read. The opposition cross-examined the witness and presented their arguments, citing a decrease in property values, concern for the health and safety of the neighborhood, attracting undesirables to the area, and the need to have the facility licensed. They asked that these concerns be addressed in the Special Use Permit and certain regulations written into it. These points included not allowing anyone who had committed a felony or used drugs to be admitted into the residence, and limited the facility to thirty beds. The attorneys worked out the details and reported back to the Planning Commission.
Finally, on March 14, 1988, the Chicago Zoning Board announced the approval of the Special Use Permit for Bonaventure House. After overcoming numerous obstacles and delays, the project was on its way to becoming a reality. Contracts for the removal of the asbestos and for the demolition work were signed, and bids for the renovation and construction were received by mid-April.
During the entire waiting period, the Archdiocese of Chicago continued to support the Alexian Brothers in their mission, and various other organizations and individuals made donations, held fund-raisers, and pledged support. In the spring of 1988, the local Alexian Brothers Community was established consisting of Brother Frank Souza, Brother Roger Sullivan, Brother John Kerr, and Brother Lawrence Krueger. They were joined by Father Greg Nowacki, a Salvatorian priest who would become Director of Pastoral Care; and Brother Donald Lucas, a Pulaski Franciscan in charge of housekeeping.
While the construction and renovation work was in progress, the process of accepting residents for Bonaventure House began, and a waiting list was established. The Brothers involved with the project kept busy with a variety of conferences on AIDS, workshops, seminars, and speaking engagements. In mid-December, 1988 Brothers Frank Souza (Director of Bonaventure House) and John Kerr requested dispensations and withdrew from the Community. Brother Lawrence Krueger had been transferred to Elizabeth, New Jersey earlier in the year, and that left Brother Roger Sullivan as the only remaining member of the original Community. Father Robert Rybicki was hired as the new Director, and he began full time work at Bonaventure House on January 23, 1989. Timothy Budz, the part time Social Worker, began full time duties, which included screening and training about forty volunteers to help with a myriad of details.
On March 22, 1989 the first residents moved into Bonaventure House. Before that, six residents and a dozen staff and volunteers utilized space at the Alexian Brothers Novitiate on Kenmore Avenue in Chicago. The facility was dedicated on April 6, 1989 by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin and officially opened. An addition to the rear of the building was completed and dedicated on October 8, 1991.
In 1992, the staff at Bonaventure House began looking at ways to expand the ministry through exporting some of their expertise in HIV/AIDS-related housing. Through a two-year grant from Baxter Laboratories, Bonaventure House staff created The Handbook for Assisted Living in 1993. This "how-to" manual was directed at the many agencies exploring ways to create facilities similar to Bonaventure House. TheAlexian Brothers Center for Assisted Living was a natural extension of the mission of the Alexian Brothers AIDS Ministry to provide housing for those in need. The Center furthered this core vision by helping other community-based organizations to deliver needed services to men and women living with AIDS.
The Alexian Brothers began to expand their supportive-housing program for people with AIDS beyond Chicago. Lake County, which included Waukegan, Illinois, had the second-highest AIDS incidence rate among all Illinois counties. In 1995, local agencies, including Catholic Charities, United Way and the Lake County Health Department invited the Alexian Brothers Center for Assisted Living to study the feasibility of supportive housing in Lake County. The study led to a collaborative agreement that involved the Alexian Brothers, Catholic Charities and the Lake County Health Department. The Brothers would operate the supportive-housing facility, which was known as Alexian Brothers - The Harbor. Catholic Charities managed a case management system for people who used the facility and the health department provided medical case management.
Alexian Brothers The Harbor in Waukegan, Illinois opened on June 15, 1998. More than 150 neighbors, social service providers, families and friends attended the dedication. The first resident moved into the facility in August. The Harbor provided a community living environment for up to twelve people with HIV and substance abuse problems.
Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago came to Bonaventure House to bless the new short-term unit and to celebrate the ninth anniversary of Bonaventure House on April 27, 1998. The short-term housing unit was a four-room unit that offered three days to three weeks, 24-hour medically supervised housing. This was a way to reduce costs that were associated with long hospital stays. The program helped people maintain independent living without compromising their health. The mission of the Short-Term Program was to enhance the quality of life of persons with AIDS by providing a safe interim residence to meet temporary medical and/or respite needs.
In 1999, the AIDS ministry expanded to St. Louis, Missouri. Alexian Brothers Salus Place officially opened on May 24, 1999. This was the first Catholic facility for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the first dual-diagnosis transitional housing facility in the city. The Alexian Brothers converted a building that they owned near Alexian Brothers Hospital in St. Louis. Alexian Brothers Salus Place housed men and women living with HIV/AIDS and chemical substance addictions who were marginally housed or homeless. The facility provided crisis intervention, nutritional services, medical and social case management and individual and group support for addiction stability and recovery. Salus Place worked toward helping individual residents move into more independent housing with follow up supportive care.
By 2000, Alexian Brothers The Harbor in Waukegan had a full compliment of eight residents. In July 2000, a change in zoning allowed The Harbor to increase the number of residents that could be accommodated to ten by doubling up in the largest rooms. In 2001, Alexian Brothers Salus Place in St. Louis and The Harbor in Waukegan merged with Alexian Brothers Bonaventure House in Chicago. The merger brought all of the AIDS ministries under one umbrella organization.
Alexian Brothers Salus Place was expanded in the summer 2002 to provide rooms for ten residents. Despite this expansion, it was determined that the ministry was unworkable, and Salus Place closed in 2003.
The Transitional Living Program at Bonaventure House was a program that provided each resident with an individualized plan to address barriers to independent living. The program was developed in 2003 and designed to enhance life skills and increase employment through job training of education.
In October 2003, Bonaventure House's collaboration with the University of Illinois' Department of Occupational Therapy became a model for other AIDS housing programs in Illinois. This innovative program integrated occupational therapy services into program structures and individual care plans.
