AIDS Hospice Marks the Groundbreaking of North Philadelphia Site

Officials broke ground on June 27 for a new hospice in North Philadelphia to care for people dying of AIDS. Calcutta House III, at 19th and Stiles Streets, is expected to open early next year with nine units and an inner courtyard. Each unit will have a private room and a bathroom. Residents will share the laundry facilities, kitchen, dining room, living room and meditation room.

Construction will cost a little more than $2 million, much of it coming from various government agencies. Calcutta House III is the newest addition to Calcutta House, a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 to provide housing and care for people with HIV/AIDS. The advent of drugs that can prolong the life of persons with HIV has changed the role of the organization, said Executive Director Steve Peura. As a result, the new facility will be strictly a hospice. This will open up space in the old building, at 1601 W. Girard Ave., for those who are recovering. Several other hospices currently operate in the Philadelphia region, with patients coming from local hospitals. Peura said there is usually a waiting list.

Kevin Moore, 43, has been at Calcutta House for eight months and said the staff has helped motivate him. They also provide transportation for him to attend the Katharine Gibbs School in Norristown, where he studies Web design and technology. "They backed me up. They helped me get back on my feet," he said.

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