Betty Finney House, the downtown agency that provided housing assistance and other services to those living with HIV/AIDS, officially closed on March 1. While this marks the end of the agency's 14 years of service, the Rev. John H. Emmert, president of the agency's board of directors, said the move streamlines services for clients by rolling them into a program at the Gathering Place, another downtown agency that provides case management and support services for people with HIV/AIDS.

"We realized it's very difficult for a small, single-mission organization to be able to comply with all the government regulations in order to carry out its mission," Emmert said. "We were spending a lot of money to give away a little money." The Gathering Place has been serving HIV/AIDS patients since 1987, many of whom received services at Betty Finney.

"I think [the Betty Finney House directors] saw that it just seemed to make the circle complete if everything was done by one agency," said the Rev. Robert Lewis, executive director of the Gathering Place. "It was an amicable thing."

Lewis said his staff of nine is learning the ropes of the housing end of client services with hope of providing a seamless transition for the community.

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