By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman
DETROIT – On Oct. 28 Wellness House of Michigan announced that it would be closing its doors and ceasing services effective Dec. 1. The closing will affect Detroit residents living with HIV/AIDS who rely on the community-based organization for food, housing and other services.
Executive Director Rob Fetzer and board President Dr. Brenda Bryant blamed funding lost through a dispute with the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion and budget cuts to the city's housing programs for the closure. In addition, Wellness House is being evicted by the Archdiocese of Detroit, which is closing the St. Dominic church campus that is currently home to Wellness House's offices.
Barbara Murray, executive director of AIDS Partnership Michigan, said that the loss of Wellness house would be a further strain on her agency's clients.
"One of the most difficult resources for us to find for clients is good solid housing, and this is just going to create an additional problem for our clients to lose a good program like Wellness House," she said.
See next week's issue of Between The Lines for a full report. For more information on Wellness House's troubles with the City of Detroit, see "Wellness House to lose Title II funding" and "Wellness House receives no help from Detroit City Council"
