The Damien Center, Inc.

The Damien Center was established in April 1987 as social service organization providing programs and services to persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The largest AIDS Service Organization in the state of Indiana, the Damien Center's mission is to empower persons in Central Indiana affected by HIV/AIDS to move forward each day with dignity and to lead the fight to prevent the spread of HIV.

Description:
PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Care Coordination

Program Description: Care Coordination provides guidance and support to clients and families through case management, counseling and referral. Highly trained professionals assist clients in navigating a very complex social service system. Specialized case management for families and children is provided at Riley Hospital for Children on a weekly basis.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Program Description: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services address the frequent problems faced by persons with HIV/AIDS dealing with multiple disabilities. Trained and licensed therapists provide individual and group counseling. These services are also available to Damien Center clients' families and friends.

Housing Assistance Program

Program Description: Ensuring that men, women and families living with HIV/AIDS are living in a safe environment is the primary objective of the Housing Assistance Program. Rental assistance, emergency shelter and supplemental financial assistance are provided annually to approximately 200 individuals. This department also coordinates a home buying program.

Prevention Services

The Damien Center offers a variety of HIV prevention programs. Confidential HIV testing is offered 5 days per week. Trained and licensed prevention case managers counsel individuals and couples who are considered at high risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. These services are provided at the Center and in the community.

Food Assistance Programs

Having access to proper nutrition is critical to persons living with HIV/AIDS and associated disabilities. The Food Pantry is a volunteer-run service for HIV-infected clients and their families. The Food Pantry provides assistance to over 1,500 persons annually. Volunteers staff the pantry and coordinate food drives from individuals, businesses, schools, civic groups and houses of worship, based upon a list of the pantry's needs.

History:
The Damien Center has been the area’s leading provider of programs and services to persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. In 1987, a commitment to improve the lives of those impacted by HIV/AIDS led Canon Earl Conner of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis and Christ Church Cathedral, to create the Damien Center in partnership with the Catholic Archdiocese and the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. This relationship allowed the Center to be housed at the facility behind the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul until June 2006, when the agency relocated to 26 N. Arsenal Avenue on Indianapolis’ near-East side.

Since 1987, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has evolved rapidly, and the Damien Center continues to assess the needs of those we serve and keep our mission consistent with those needs.

The Damien Center provides services to more HIV positive clients than any other service provider in the state, and hundreds of the Center’s clients’ friends and families of choice are also seen through support services. The Center’s services are designed to assist clients and families with the specific problems and concerns encountered in living with HIV infection. Since the Damien Center's inception in 1987, it has served in excess of 4,500 clients with HIV/AIDS and more than 13,000 of their loved ones. In the year 2005, the Damien Center’s care coordination staff served 1,230 unduplicated clients.

Committed to lead the fight to prevent the spread of HIV, the Center provides education, prevention counseling, and free HIV testing services. Nearly 1,200 free HIV tests were provided throughout the community in 2005. Special prevention programs target African-American women and youth.

Current programs include: care coordination and case management, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling and referral, a food pantry and food vouchers, legal services, housing and emergency assistance, home ownership preparation and personal financial counseling, support groups, transportation assistance, HIV wellness programs, youth programming, prevention programs, HIV testing and counseling, a speaker’s bureau, education and community outreach, and volunteer services.

Contact person: Elisa Rogowski, Director Of Development And Communications, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (317) 632-4362

Address:

26 North Arsenal Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46201
(See a map)

Web Site: http://www.damien.org

Directions:

Travel any North/South road toward downtown Indianapolis. At Maryland Street, turn East. Maryland Street will merge with Washington Street just East of downtown. Travel East on Washinton Street to Arsenal Avenue, turn left (North). The Damien. . . (more)
Nearest Bus Stop: 8, 1 minute walk

Last updated on May 26, 2009

Agency Details: