The ultimate program goal is to support a client's overall wellness and medical condition by addressing the client's fundamental life issues in the housing arena. They assist the client with life skills and planning issues, employment, and other social service concerns. The staff verifies program eligibility and assists the clients with completing assistance applications. When a client has housing needs and funding is not available, the case managers work with other community resources to develop a plan to address that client's needs. The client population is about two-thirds male with a growing female population.
Many clients have families as well that benefit from services.
At a time when fear and confusion about AIDS was the norm throughout society, the diagnosis often meant the loss of a job, abandonment by family and friends, financial ruin and homelessness. Now, homeless persons with AIDS no longer have to live in danger and despair on the streets of Atlanta. There is access to substance abuse treatment and rehab, legal counseling, mental health counseling, transportation and other vital services. Jerusalem House helps their residents break the cycle of crisis and regain control of their lives. Residents are drug-free when they enter and must pledge to remain so.