Peter's Retreat
Goal
Help individuals living with HIV / AIDS to lead a healthier life in a safe, caring, and supportive residential environment.
Why Peter’s Retreat is Important
There are only two congregate housing programs for people living with HIV / AIDS in Greater Hartford. Peter’s Retreat is the larger of
Hartford’s two AIDS residences. The need for 24 hour a day / 7 day a week residences greatly exceeds the supply. The Connecticut AIDS
Residence Coalition (CARC) has reported that 81 percent of persons with AIDS who requested housing in a recent year were turned away.
Without Peter’s Retreat, 26 persons living with HIV / AIDS would be homeless. As a result of the support they receive while living at Peter’s Retreat, these individuals consume fewer emergency health and social services than they otherwise would.
- Peter’s Retreat first opened in 1988
- 81% of persons living with AIDS in Greater Hartford who requested housing in a recent year were turned away
- Peter’s Retreat provides 30% of congregate supportive housing for people living with HIV / AIDS in Connecticut, and 60% of such housing in the Greater Hartford area
- Peter’s Retreat provides a home for 26 people living with HIV / AIDS who would otherwise be homeless
Residents give back to the community by speaking at worship services, schools and public hearings, and petitioning legislators when
HIV/AIDS support needs defending. One resident currently serves on the local Ryan White Task Force.
How It Works
Clients come to Peter’s Retreat in various stages of physical illness. Fifty percent of the residents have mental health issues that
require psychotropic medicine. Residents may need help managing as many as 20 different medications at once. A large percentage of
residents are in various stages of recovery from alcoholism and drug abuse for which they receive support and guidance, based on a
harm reduction philosophy.
Peter’s Retreat strictly enforces a “no-drug or alcohol use/no drugs or alcohol on premises” house rule which creates a safe environment
in which residents can work toward and achieve their personal recovery goals. Program staff encourage the residents along their recovery journeys.
In addition to a safe place to call home and 24-hour a day staff supervision, services include nutritional
meals, AIDS education and medication management, individual counseling, family support and case management, support groups,
transportation and recreation.
The support that persons with AIDS receive at Peter’s Retreat also allows residents to
continue to reside in their home-like setting when medications fail and/or side effects of medications or disease make hospice care necessary. At the end of life, residents at Peter’s Retreat have a hand in writing their final chapters, find support and community around them and, whenever
possible, avoid hospitalization or nursing home care. Peter’s Retreat staff also support family members through these difficult times.
All individuals who come to Peter’s Retreat live in poverty, are HIV positive or living with AIDS, have histories of homelessness, and
nearly always have other complicating health problems and disabilities. No one is denied housing because of an inability to pay.
Peter’s Retreat grew out of a scattered-site housing and support program
that was initiated in 1988 for families in which one member was diagnosed as HIV positive. The agency opened the doors of Peter's Retreat's shared residence in 1994. We continue to offer both programs
as a way to reach out to this special population.
Role of Volunteers
A cadre of loyal volunteers from congregations, corporations, teen centers and other community groupd add to the richness of residential life at Peter’s Retreat.
Our volunteers cook, serve and share meals with residents on a regular basis, play games with residents and engage them in conversation.
Volunteer teams perform periodic site clean-ups and spruce-ups in collaboration with staff and residents.
Our residents love to do things! They rely on volunteers to lead group activities,
trips, social programs and other events on an ongoing or one-time-only basis.
Impact
In a year’s time, Peter’s Retreat cares for approximately 50 individuals with an HIV/AIDS diagnosis who would otherwise be homeless.
For the past four years, Peter’s Retreat has received a 99-100% rating from the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition (CARC) Standards of
Care review.
Peter’s Retreat is one of the founding members of CARC and has received a service award from the Connecticut
Association of Nonprofits (CAN). It was featured as a model program at a HUD annual Best Practices Conference in Washington, D.C.
