Doorways

After observing people reduced to poverty, isolation and desperation by a social reaction to a devastating illness, community and faith leaders in the greater St. Louis and bi-state region sought to demonstrate their shared belief in compassionate care as a response to HIV/AIDS. Representatives from the Catholic Archdiocese joined a local rabbi, ministers from Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ congregations, and other area leaders to form DOORWAYS, an organization dedicated to serve the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS.

As these leaders struggled to determine which services would best respond to an unmet need, they came to recognize that stable and secure housing would provide an appropriate response. Their early conviction, that safe housing is the basic prerequisite for the effective treatment, management and prevention of the disease, has since been born out through research. For those affected by this illness, housing is healthcare.

Today, DOORWAYS goals are to remain true to this original mission: To increase access to safe, affordable housing for people with HIV/AIDS and, in doing so, improve access to healthcare and social services, increase compliance with individual treatment plans, reduce further transmission and enhance the quality of life for those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.