Calcutta House, founded over two decades ago by Mother Teresa’s Brothers of Charity in a rented, five bedroom row home in the University City area of West Philadelphia, originally provided a clean, comfortable, accepting and supportive place for ostracized individuals with end-stage AIDS to spend their final months in peace and comfort.

When Calcutta House was founded, the AIDS epidemic was in its sixth year, its public face being white, gay men, some of whom were personalities in entertainment and the arts. At the time, no effective AIDS treatments were available, and resources were very scarce for helping those with this little understood disease. Typically, AIDS led to death within a year of diagnosis. 

When the Brothers left Philadelphia, they entrusted the mission of Calcutta House to a group of volunteers who organized a Board of Directors, sought and received appropriate legal recognition as a 501c3 non-profit, and began to expand services to more individuals. The Brothers’ compassionate care - a hallmark of Calcutta House - continues today under lay administration and oversight.

Within a short time, the Board of Directors directed the construction of a new, larger, facility specifically designed and suited to the more skilled care needs of the acutely ill population who required such care. This facility, later to be known as Independence Place, opened in 1996 and included four adjacent, but separate, apartments for people who were beginning to respond to new drug therapies, and able to live independently without direct care. In 1999, Calcutta House expanded again, this time to an adjoining property, adding 6 more beds, creating a total of 18 private rooms, as well as space for nursing stations and behavioral and rehabilitative care. 

As HIV began to affect new, significantly poorer individuals, many with a history of homelessness, significant substance abuse and mental health issues, Calcutta House received referrals long after their initial infection developed.  These residents were unable to benefit from the new drug regimes and needed the type of nursing and hospice care originally provided by Calcutta House.  To meet this new challenge, the Board moved to create a new facility to address the special needs of people in the end stage of AIDS; named Serenity Court, the 9-bed facility opened In 2004.

As Calcutta House is currently constituted, its two separate, but mutually supporting, facilities reflect the complex and differing needs of people who suffer from a life-threatening disease.  Calcutta House continues to adapt in whatever way necessary to meet the needs of society’s most vulnerable people suffering from HIV/AIDS and, in so doing, maintains its mission, unique among AIDS service providers.


Independence Place 
Opened in 1996, this 18 private bedroom facility with space for nursing, rehabilitative and behavioral care includes four adjacent apartments for individuals with AIDS who are able to live independently, but wishing to remain part of the Calcutta House community.

Carefully and purposely designed to avoid an institutional feeling, Independence Place adds to the quality of long-term resident life with a warm, home-like feeling.  The three above ground floors are connected by a central sky-lit atrium stairwell, which brings daylight down through the center of the building. All levels of the house are wheelchair accessible, and served by an elevator.  The main entrance has a walled concrete wheelchair ramp, eliminating any obstruction to freedom of movement for mobility impaired residents.   

The main level of Independence Place contains the dining, community and quiet rooms and administrative offices.  Meals are served family style around a long dining room table to provide residents the opportunity to be together as a community.  Residents moving toward more independent living arrangements may work with the kitchen staff to acquire or improve basic kitchen skills.

• The Community Room is the central gathering space for resident meetings, volunteer led activities, holiday parties and general socializing. There is a large screen TV equipped with a VCR, reading lamps and comfortable furniture.
• The Quiet Room is used for private meetings by residents and staff, and as a place for services to residents requiring privacy, such as massage therapy.
• The two upper floors have private resident bedrooms and two nursing stations. Resident rooms have a bed, bed table, comfortable chair, private bathroom with a toilet, shower and sink.   
• The finished basement has a large fitness and recreation room equipped with weights and exercise equipment used in occupational and physical therapy. There are a pool table and dart board for informal games. 
• A wonderful amenity of Independence Place is the large wooden deck, with deck chairs and shaded tables, attached to the rear of the house that overlooks a beautiful, protected landscaped garden. Accessed through large double doors from the dining room, the deck is an invaluable extension of the living space of the house.

External programs are a part of the daily lives of most Independence Place residents. The Social Services staff and Activities Coordinator encourage residents to enroll in programs sponsored by outside organizations that meet their personal, educational and health goals. These include drug treatment and mental health day programs, and G.E.D. classes. Internal programs conducted by Calcutta House Inc. staff include addiction recovery support groups, individual counseling, AIDS education, literacy tutoring and general meetings where residents can bring up issues affecting their lives.

The spiritual aspects of life are important to many residents. Volunteer religious leaders of different faiths and denominations offer spiritual guidance and counseling to residents who desire this. Those who wish to attend religious services are assisted in doing so.

 

Serenity Court
Opened in 2004,  Serenity Court is specifically designed to meet the special needs of those very ill and dying due to AIDS. The need for a quiet, restful environment was a primary concern of Calcutta House leadership. 
 

• Each resident room has a window that faces onto the garden courtyard, permitting a connection to nature and the passage of time. This interior, landscaped courtyard is designed to enhance the daily lives of the residents and staff by integrating daylight and landscaping into common spaces and resident rooms. 
• A spacious Common Room provides a place to go that is easily accessible to those who are wheelchair bound or have impaired mobility, but have the will to remain active and engaged in life.
• Each private resident room has a separate bath, toilet and sink. Shared spaces include shower and laundry facilities, kitchen, dining, common and  meditation rooms.  Features such as counter height, locations of switches, turning space and access to storage areas are tailored to the physical challenges of people confined to wheelchairs.