Pennsylvania: Mantua Facility That Caters to Families Coping With HIV/AIDS Shutters Its Doors

After almost 15 years of providing services to families affected by HIV/AIDS, St. Mary's Family Respite Center (FRC) closed its doors on March 31.

In announcing the closing, Executive Director Sandra Thompson blamed the current economic crisis for FRC's demise. The Mantua center lost most of its government funding in mid-2007, prompting a struggle until its final day, she said. "Despite attempts to secure funding from other government sources and reducing staff," she wrote supporters on March 25, "we have been unable to meet the challenges of the past six months."

The nonprofit FRC was started by residents of West Philadelphia, the Episcopal Diocese of Philadelphia's Committee on AIDS, and representatives from area AIDS service organizations. Among the programs it offered were child care, education and recreation for kids, parenting workshops, and family outings. FRC also enabled parents and caregivers to tend to medical and personal matters. In all, more than 450 families relied on the center's support and free services.

Since its founding in 1994, FRC never turned down an applicant for assistance, said Thompson. "In the end, reality has taken its toll and claimed yet another victim of the economy," she said.

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