Nonprofit Spotlight: The Albany Damien Center
Photos by Elissa Ebersold
A hug, a warm meal or a roof over your head. Those are just a few of the many resources the Albany Damien Center can provide individuals and families living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Since the Damien Center first opened its doors in 1988 and was later incorporated as the first AIDS drop-in center in the United States in 1990, the membership-based organization has remained dedicated to serving a community in need beyond just medical assistance.
The welcoming, stigma-free attitude visitors are first greeted with as they venture into the Center on Madison Avenue is something that Executive Director Perry Junjulas remembers fondly of his first visit in 1995 after being diagnosed with AIDS. He was given three months to live.
“I just found this really incredible community that was helping mostly the LGBT community, mostly gay men, with the process of dying and what that was going to look like for a lot of people,” Junjulas said.
Soon after, when breakthrough drug treatment options were introduced, Junjulas found himself a part of the group that got resurrected from an impending death sentence, feeling what they called the “Lazarus effect.” Although, the new lease on life was far from perfect, as the new drugs had drawbacks. Nonetheless, they were still helping keep HIV+ individuals alive.
In 1999, Junjulas was asked to help run the Damien Center. Though he jokes that his agreement to just one year in the role is now going on 26 years, he wouldn’t have it any other way. He has been part of helping the organization adapt to the changes in the epidemic.
“The Damien Center switched [from] helping people dying from the disease to, ‘How do you live with it?’”
They worked to expand their resources and bolster those already in place, like the Drop-In Living Room initiative. Operating since the organization’s beginning, it provides programming that incorporates HIV+ peer-to-peer support, educational presentations and access to spiritual care and holistic services.
Introduced in 2001, the Smart Meals program also remains popular. As Junjulas notes, the Center was always feeding people, so they decided to formalize it with the creation of a healthy food program that serves daily hot meals, cooked with love and care on-site, in addition to supplying pantry bags and vouchers to local grocery stores.
A few years later, Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) was created. This unique program was developed after the Damien Center noticed how many sick individuals had to give up their pets because they could no longer care for them while also battling their illness. PAWS volunteers supply owners with adequate pet food and other donated necessities, and even provide in-home care if individuals have to leave their companion behind during a hospital stay.
The most utilized service is the housing program, which offers permanent, supportive accommodation with rent assistance and case management. The Damien Center has 20 apartments on-site and about 80 units throughout the community.
These programs, an on-site pharmacy and the many more resources the Damien Center extends aim to increase the quality of life of those living with HIV/AIDS. They do so in ways that go far beyond just focusing on the disease itself, even in today’s world where treatment options have improved since the epidemic’s start.
“A lot of people said, ‘We’re done, we’re good. We got the medicines. We don’t hear about HIV anymore.’ We’ve left entire populations behind,” Junjulas said.
Within those populations are people of color, individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, those battling mental health issues, unhoused individuals, hunger, poverty and much more.
The 47 diligent staff members that make up the organization’s team and Board of Directors are the driving force preventing people from being left behind. Their diverse initiatives reach 17 different counties, and many members were also hired from the very community that the Center serves.
“Since the beginning of the Damien Center, we always tried to hire from the community. But even if someone has not had those experiences, what I find is when people come into work, helping people is just the fun part of the day,” Junjulas said.
Even during times of adversity, their team has shown true dedication and unwavering belief in the work they do. This was especially the case after a fire broke out at their previous agency headquarters and program site in 2013 and destroyed seemingly everything except a framed photo of Father Damien, whom the organization was named after for his work ministering people with leprosy in the late 1800s. There’s a powerful message there that rings true to all that the Damien Center stands for. They prevailed and quickly relocated temporarily to the First Lutheran Church, just in time to get the day’s hot lunches prepared, all while coming to terms with starting anew. By 2017, they moved into their new space at 728 Madison Ave., where they operate today.
“In the face of disaster–from what AIDS brought us, fire, discrimination, stigma–we somehow were resilient enough to hold together and become stronger after every challenge,” Junjulas said.
Furthermore, he notes that Pride month is a time to celebrate the community, but also shed light on the challenges still present. But Junjulas says that while the Damien Center can’t predict the future, they will always be there to serve as a constant.
“I think the message from Pride this year is: Yes, things are uncertain. Yes, there’s chaos out there. Hold on to the things that are solid for you. We’re one of those things.”
For more information on the Albany Damien Center visit http://www.albanydamiencenter.org/.
