Bailey-Boushay House Homefront

Winter 2014 Edition Newsletter

Inside this issue

Being Homeless and HIV Positive in Seattle | Our New Kitchen Is Open For Business | Chefs' Dinner 

 

Being Homeless and HIV Positive in Seattle

Different life paths lead clients to Bailey-Boushay House

To describe the face of HIV/AIDS at Bailey-Boushay House, we often use this shorthand: “Our clients struggle not only with HIV/AIDS, but also with mental illness, chemical dependency and homelessness. ”What images does the word “homeless” bring to mind? The shorthand may save space, but it also obscures the diversity of an individual experience that lies behind labels. We asked two clients in the Bailey-Boushay outpatient program how they became homeless and its effect on their health and hopes for the future.

Shared labels, unique life histories

Adrien and Ray have much in common. Both gay men were diagnosed as HIV-positive in their twenties. Now in their forties, both are grateful every time a lab test confirms their HIV disease has stabilized. For both men, getting permanent housing − a warm, dry and safe place of their own − is the top priority. Many of their needs as homeless people are similar, but the life paths that led them to becoming homeless are not.

Seeing food from the eater’s perspective

When housing, food and money are scarce, or illness limits daily life, people face tough nutritional decisions. Shawntel thinks of Bailey-Boushay clients who have to ask themselves, “Do I get full or have fresh fruits and vegetables?” And she thinks of a resident with diabetes who candidly told her, “The food here gets boring, and McDonalds is exciting. I order double everything and eat it all.” She understands how people can feel as though they have no good options. “But my educational message is that you make choices for yourself. No matter who makes the food, you can make choices.” It doesn’t have to be painful or stressful. Shawntel offers two recent examples of trying small changes that made a big difference to health and well-being.

Ray comes daily to BBH to “stay on meds, keep my sanity, and go to support group.” 
The decisions that changed everything

Ray had housing when he first came to Bailey-Boushay in 2006, but he lost his subsidized apartment in 2011 “for smoking and having a boyfriend.” Ray knew he was breaking the three-day rule for overnight guests, but he couldn’t turn away a homeless friend. Adrien needed to get away from home to make a fresh start. He moved from Chicago to Seattle in 2013 without having a job, a place to stay, or a friend to call. “I was prepared to just find a locker to keep my stuff,” he says, “until I was lucky enough to find a shelter.” There’s a life-story behind each decision that makes the “Homeless and HIV-positive” label even more complex.

Ray's story: Overwhelmed by illness

Born in Louisiana, Ray moved to Seattle at age 22 to be near his twin brother. “I could never get that close to my brother’s kids because of the gay thing,” he says. He loved Seattle and worked for many years at a retail drugstore chain. Eventually, HIV undermined his physical health and mental illness overwhelmed him. (Ray takes psychiatric medication now for post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar illness). As his life grew less stable, his ties to his family became even less stable. His brother was very upset when Ray was evicted from his apartment, Ray says, “So I tend not to talk to him much.” However, his brother is aware of the stability and community Ray finds at Bailey-Boushay. “He can be comforted because he knows where I am from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day,” Ray says. “If I’m in trouble, it’s always after 4 p.m.”

Adrien's story: Motivated by illness

Adrien got very sick in 2005, and he has faithfully taken his HIV medicine ever since. Things were going well, until he developed two types of HIV-related cancer. That experience motivated him to make some big changes. While he was still in treatment for the two cancers, Adrien finished an undergraduate degree in Spanish language and history. He wanted to get a good job, pay off his loans and rebuild his life, “But with my history of unemployment and being sick, employers aren’t interested.” So he refocused on building a healthy life in body and spirit. The move to Seattle put distance between him and his emotionally abusive family. Despite living in a shelter, having no privacy and feeling fatigue from depression, he follows the same health regimen every day. He takes HIV medication, practices meditation for one to three hours, eats a vegetarian diet, and exercises. “I realized I’d gravitated away from the spiritual path I’d been on,” Adrien says. “I think that’s why I got sick. Getting sick really pulled me back to it.” 

Dignity for people without homes

Treated with the respect everyone deserves, both Adrien and Ray are hopeful for the future. Housing outside the city has shorter waiting lists and looks most promising to Adrien. “I’d like being closer to nature,” he says.A plaque acknowledging Boeing’s support of Bailey-Boushay reminds Ray that he and other clients are not alone. “See,” he says, “we’re still part of the community.” 

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Our New Kitchen Is Open For Business!

Bailey-Boushay House Kitchen Pre-Remodel

Earlier this month, the Bailey-Boushay House kitchen opened its doors after nearly 13 weeks of renovations.

The kitchen is the center of the nutrition program, which plays a vital role in the individual treatment plans for both residents and outpatient clients. Good nutrition and managing the intake and timing of food are key components to helping clients properly manage their medications, as well as regain or maintain good health. To ensure food service for clients was not disrupted; meals were prepared and transported from the cafeteria at Virginia Mason to Bailey-Boushay House.

 

The original kitchen and all of the equipment, most of which was secondhand to begin with, had not been updated since the facility opened in 1992. Twenty-two years later, with more than 1.3 million meals prepared, it was time for a remodel.The new kitchen was designed specifically to address the changing dietary needs of clients and to accommodate the preparation of more fresh fruits and vegetables. The design also took into consideration how to maximize efficiency and flow, yet remain flexible enough to meet future staff and client needs. 

Bailey-Boushay House Kitchen Transformed

What do the clients have to say about the new kitchen?  “What’s for lunch?”

 A special thanks to the incredible companies who gave generously of their time and talents to make this kitchen renovation possible:

  • Turner Construction
  • Perkins+Will
  • DK Design
  • MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions
  • Sasco
  • WoodHarbinger
  • Coughlin Porter Lundeen
  • Mayes Testing Engineers

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Join Us!
January 25, 2015 at 5PM
Bell Harbor International Conference Center
 

Chefs' Dinner 2015

Dine to make a difference at the 23rd annual Chefs’ Dinner, an opportunity to celebrate and raise support for Bailey-Boushay House.

Guests enjoy a culinary extravaganza at an hors d'oeuvres reception and silent wine auction, followed by a private and elegant multi-course dinner prepared by celebrated area chefs.  

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