Pasadena, CA, February 12, 2005—At a time when an AIDS diagnosis was an almost immediate death sentence, the nonprofit Serra Project opened the first group home in the City of Los Angeles to house and care for persons impoverished by the physical, emotional and financial toll of the disease.

Today, with three group homes licensed as RCFCI's (Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill) and a scattered-site program of permanent supportive housing known as CHOISS (Community Housing Options at Independent Supported Sites), The Serra Project operates the longest-running AIDS housing program in Los Angeles County. Since its inception, Serra has provided housing and support services to more than 1,000 AIDS-affected persons living below the poverty lineÑnearly 25% of them children.

For The Serra Project, the past year and a half has been marked by change, growth and a renewal of spirit, beginning with a move of our offices from our longstanding home at St. Vincent Medical Center to new offices on the second floor of the AIDS Service Center in Pasadena. Through board member David Blake, Saint John's Health Center provided a major cash gift to help with the move, as did Tenet-owned QueensCare — a donation that was matched in part by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. It was under the guidance of the late Sister Jane Frances Power, a revered member of that order, that The Serra Project took shape 18 years ago.

During this transition, we welcomed five new board members: Byron T. Ball, an accomplished civil-trial attorney with the firm of McNicholas & McNicholas; John Monahan, Sr. Vice President of State Sponsored Programs for Wellpoint (Blue Cross of California); longtime Serra friend Warren R. Wimmer, a finance professional with a background in international banking; Katherine Frenck, a civil litigation lawyer with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker; and Laurie F. Hasencamp, a seasoned financial lawyer by training and an active member of the charitable community. As Interim Executive Director, Laurie undertook a number of important projects in 2003-04, including the addition of ten units of permanent supportive housing to the CHOISS program through federal funding from HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. CHOISS will ultimately provide 80 desperately needed units of rental housing and related support services to destitute individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS who could not otherwise afford them. Along with this expansion has come a deeper understanding of the diverse needs of our community. As a pilot site for the federally mandated Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), The Serra Project is on the advancing edge of the search for a solution to the problem of chronic homelessness.

In 2004, permanent Executive Director Sue McGinnis joined The Serra Project, as did three new social-work professionals: licensed clinical social worker Erik Schott, MSW Raymond Lamb and MSW Jonni Bartholow. Erik was already well acquainted with Serra through his previous job with the Comprehensive AIDS Resource Education (C.A.R.E.) program at St. Mary Medical Center, which is contracted to provide nurse case management services at The Serra Project's group homes. Erik now heads up the clinical side of CHOISS, working with Raymond and Jonni and Support Service Coordinators Antonio Jimenez and Andres Sanchez. Under Program Manager Elizabeth Villalobos, this experienced clinical team ensures that CHOISS clients maximize their potential for healthy living.