St. Francis center

The St. Francis Center in Washington, DC was founded in 1975 to provide support and guidance for individuals and organizations facing life-threatening illness and bereavement. The Center began seeing clients who were living with AIDS since 1983, and has expanded all of its services to include components specifically designed for people living with AIDS and organizations serving people with AIDS. This article describes the orgins of the Center and reveals how the organization grew to meet the challenges of AIDS. The Center can be seen as an organizational model for other pre-existing institutions. Brief case studies demonstrate the activities and techniques of the Center's counseling, training and volunteer support programs as they help people with AIDS, their families and service organizations.