ST. LOUIS – A groundbreaking effort to combat homelessness and health disparities in north St. Louis is now complete. Doorways is offering permanent housing for individuals living with HIV, aiming to reshape lives.
Elliot Place is one of the 39 permanent housing units that are on Doorways’ campus that are for residents living with HIV.
“Now our folks can literally walk downstairs from their apartments. They have career services on site, we have a food pantry on site, we have behavioral health on site, and now they can get their medications at the BOCA pharmacy,” President and CEO of Doorways Opal Jones said.
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the BOCA Pharmacy is open not only to the Doorways’ residents but also filling that essential gap to this pharmacy desert.
“There is not another pharmacy within two square miles on here. So to think about the redevelopment of north St. Louis, its just a value add all the way around,” Jones added.
Doorways has officially completed its North Jefferson campus in north St. Louis with Elliot Place, a $40 million housing complex. These one and two-bedroom units are intentionally unfurnished, allowing residents to make the space their own.
“A lot of the design’s sensibility space focuses on human health. So, we’re really interested in natural light in the space. There are a lot of biophilic elements, so connections to the landscape and nature are really important for someone who is living here,” Senior Project Manager Neil Chance said.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, there are over 8,000 cases of HIV in the City of St. Louis. Addressing this pressing need, Elliott Place helps with housing for those referred through medical case management.
“By the end of the year, sometime in January we’ll be full, but there is a really long wait list for Doorways services just in general. We can’t build enough housing for what the need is,” Jones said.
Elliot Place units are equipped with a handicap-accessible bathroom, a peninsula-style kitchen, and in-unit laundry facilities, along with a community center. The president of Doorways expects to have 100 residents living on campus once they reach capacity, and she believes these facilities are transforming lives while strengthening the Jeff-Vander-Lou community.