Pasadena, CA, May 31, 2005—A glance around the room reveals a sampling of individuals as varied as any southland group: Ricardo and Maria are a couple from Los Angeles; Sharon is a single mom from Hawthorne who works as a hairstylist; Tom is an accomplished musician from Long Beach; Jose and Adriana are here on behalf of their 13-year-old daughter. The eye travels further and takes in Noe, John, Raymundo, Dexter, Norma, Luisa, Lorena, Carolyn and Levarian. Computer-savvy Edward from Pasadena is joined in conversation by computer-savvy Rudy, who lives in Norwalk. They are, variously, lively, shy, wheelchair-bound, monolingual, multi-lingual, in recovery, in counseling, in love. They are male, female, transgender; black, Latino, Asian and white; 20-something and 50-plus.

They are the Client Advisory Board of The Serra Project's Community Housing Options at Independent Supported Sites (CHOISS) program, which, since 1998, has provided permanent supportive housing to persons who are destitute, homeless and compromised by AIDS and at least one other serious health problem. Most commonly, the other health issues center around mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence or physical disability. The hallmark of CHOISS is that its dually diagnosed clients can live independently, either individually or with immediate family members, in homes they call their own. Thus, the built-in support systems that come with spouses, partners, parents and children close by are kept intact. The emphasis in CHOISS is on developing independent living skills and achieving success at a personal level, one day at a time.

With The Serra Project acting as master leaseholder, residents are housed in individual rental units scattered across Los Angeles County. In addition to collaborating with other service providers on medical care, mental-health counseling, drug and alcohol recovery programs, food banks and other important resources within the 22 communities that are home to CHOISS clients, Serra Project support service coordinators and social workers help instill the life skills clients need to keep independent living a viable choice for them.

By participating in the Client Advisory Board, CHOISS residents have a voice in the CHOISS program. More importantly, they increase their own chances for a better quality of life by engaging in a process that benefits them. On this particular morning, as they review confidentiality forms, set up a phone directory and vote to meet every month even though travel time can be a problem for some, they are making a difference. Never mind, they say to the client who lives across town. It's important to come even if you're going to be late. Then they divvy up the driving, discuss ground rules for the meetings, share ideas for group activities and offer suggestions on how the staff can raise the spirits of stressed-out clients in whom the board members see a lot of themselves. They move to elect officers; Adriana volunteers to take minutes in Spanish; Edward volunteers to type them.