THE ALBANY DAMIEN CENTER INC
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Mission Statement
Our mission is to enhance the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS in an affirming environment and to reduce new infections in the communities we serve. Our vision is a community where people with HIV/AIDS achieve their desired potential and are respected as coworkers neighbors and friends, while striving for an HIV free generation.
About This Cause
The Albany Damien Center was incorporated in 1990 as a Ministry of the Capital District Episcopal Churches & their friends in response to the 1988 Episcopal Church's call to meet the crisis of the AIDS Epidemic. The Damien Center was one of the first AIDS drop-in centers in the nation. From November 1990 to September 1998, the Damien Center was located at Grace & Holy Innocents Church on the corner of Robin and Clinton Avenue in Albany. In 1991, the Damien Center saw the need for their services and opened up two satellite locations to help serve people in each region. Schenectady Damien Center was opened in December 1991 at the St. Columba’s Sacred Heart Church and the Troy Damien Center was opened in November 1992 at the Oakwood Ave Presbyterian Church. Unfortunately, by 1994, funding quickly dried up and the center’s were forced to separate. The Troy Damien Center was assumed by Troy Area United Ministries (TAUM) and the Schenectady Damien Center was assumed by Schenectady Inner City Ministries (SICM). The Albany Damien Center remained on their own, governed by a group of volunteer Board of Directors and one part time staff. In September 1998, the Albany Damien Center purchased the property at 12 South Lake Avenue, Albany, NY 12203 which served as the agency headquarters and program site until a fire destroyed the building and its contents on August 29, 2013. We relocated to the First Lutheran Church at 646 State Street, Albany, NY, where we are offering our full range of services without interruption. The congregation welcomed us after the fire and is allowing us to stay indefinitely. The Albany Damien Center is building a new Center for its agency headquarters, programs, and community residence for 22 people living with HIV/AIDS who are unstably housed at 728 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY, just two blocks down from the old Center. This project is made possible from a $4.3 million grant from OTDA’s Homeless Housing & Assistance Program and funding from the fire insurance settlement and fundraising. The Albany Damien Center opened its second site in Schenectady in November 2014 with collaboration from Schenectady Inner City Ministries. The Albany Damien Center program areas include the AIDS Community Center (est. 1990), Treasure Chest Thrift Shop (1999), Smart Meals (2001), PAWS (2003), Foundations for Living (2012), and Mpower Albany. The Albany Damien Center serves the upstate New York region in communities located in Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Green, Hamilton, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington Counties. The Damien Center employs 14 staff members and utilizes over 140 volunteers each year to deliver services in a caring, grassroots approach. Since 1997, Perry Junjulas, Executive Director and person living with AIDS, has led the organization and has encouraged active participation by people living with HIV/AIDS in all areas of program service delivery. The AIDS Community Center Program provides drop in programs including HIV+ peer-led access to care, supportive counseling, HIV prevention support groups, holistic therapies (massage, Reiki, spiritual care), HIV/AIDS information resources, computer access, consumer advocacy, and opportunities for social and recreational activities. The Treasure Chest Thrift Store provides vocational training opportunities, and clothing, furniture, and household items for clients in need. Smart Meals combines nutrition education with well-balanced nutritious hot meals, grocery bags, and food vouchers to local supermarkets. PAWS (Pets are Wonderful Support) provides task, financial, and informational assistance to pet owners living with HIV/AIDS to ensure that they are not separated from their animal companions when they need each other the most. Foundations for Living, helps individuals living with HIV/AIDS gain employment, vocational training, and stable housing. Mpower Albany, located at ROCKS, 77 Central Ave, second floor, Albany, provides prevention services and a drop-in center for young men of color (ages 18-34) who have sex with men. In 2014, The Albany Damien Center serves approximately 400 individuals living with HIV/AIDS and over 1,000 affected members of their support system who are not accessing HIV medical treatment and supportive care services and have limited social supports. Our members typically are living in poverty, have co-morbid health conditions (mental health, substance abuse, diabetes, renal disease, hepatitis C, cancer, cardiovascular disease, sexually transmitted diseases, et.al), and inadequate or nonexistent psychosocial supports. They do not access medical nutritional therapy, have food insecurity, and possess little knowledge of food safety or nutrition. The Damien Center is a unique resource in our Northeastern New York community for people living with and at risk for HIV/STI/hepatitis. We provide programs in a comfortable and supportive HIV+ peer-led environment using a health and wellness education model. Our client-centered approach addresses the physical, psychological, and environmental impacts on an individual’s overall health. Staff understand the barriers and issues faced by people living with HIV/AIDS and deliver programs utilizing a culturally sensitive, client focused, harm reduction approach. We work to ensure each person has unfettered access to the life enriching treatment and support they deserve, ensuring HIV prevention in the process. Imagine a place where a hot meal is being prepared for you in the kitchen, a place where you feel a part of a family. Imagine a place where people greet you and warmly ask how you are doing. Imagine a place buzzing with the sounds of conversation and laughter, a place where you’re accepted for who you are. You meet people like yourself whom you can trust to help you learn how to take better care of yourself, because you’ve realized that it’s never too late to be what you might have been. Welcome to the Albany Damien Center – we’re so glad you’re here!