November 3, 2005

Re: Wellness House, Detroit, will close ... after twenty years
 

Rob Fetzer & Wellness House Staff, Detroit,

Thank you for keeping us informed with the attached press release below here.
We are sorry to hear the news,
"Wellness House of Michigan has announced that it will close its doors on December 1st after twenty years of providing housing and food to low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS."

In His Service,
Scott Wright & St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Ann Arbor.

From: Rob Fetzer (313)993-1336
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2005 09:12:31 EST
Subject: Wellness House
To: Scott Wright

Hi Scott!
 
I've attached a press release sent out last week that no one is likely to print or air.  We are very grateful for the loving work of everyone at St. Francis, and hope that there is a Detroit parish or ministry left for you all to partner with after 2006.
 
Chat me up if you have any questions.  My personal thanks for your hard work on behalf of those we have been privileged to serve these past two decades.
 
Rob
 

For Immediate Release

Contact: Rob Fetzer (313)993-1336

 
 Wellness House of Michigan has announced that it will close its doors on December 1st after twenty years of providing housing and food to low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS.
 

Since it became Michigan's first AIDS housing provider in 1985, Wellness House has been home to hundreds of men and women who needed safe housing in a unique assisted living residence.  Over the past fifteen years, Wellness House also built the State's most comprehensive nutritional services to people living with both poverty and HIV disease, distributing over 100 tons of food each year to thousands of southeastern Michigan clients.

 
Rob Fetzer, Executive Director of Wellness House since 1993, made the announcement of closing to clients and staff with a mixture of sadness and anger.  "What began in 2004 as a simple inquiry of the federal government about how the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion was applying rules and regulations turned ugly and vengeful" he said in explaining the organization's closure.
 

"While not even remotely a 'whistle-blowing' action, it appears that the Detroit health department staff reacted very badly to being questioned as to their interpretation of rules" Fetzer said.  He reported that after over ten years of a good working relationship with the department – local Grantee for federal AIDS funding – Wellness House in 2004 was offered a six-month probationarry contract that required substantive changes to how Wellness House conducted business.
 

Detroit City Council President Maryann Mahaffey held the health department's prime contract for AIDS funding in 2004 and requested a June discussion about the allocations process used by the health department's HIV/AIDS Programs office.  Ultimately, the matter was referred to the Detroit Auditor General to determine if there were problems with the challenged funding process.
 

After a lengthy review, Detroit Auditor General Joseph Harris found in a report to City Council and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick distributed in February 2005 that the health department's "evaluation and award process…had inconsistencies that causeed the award process to be questionable." Specifically, he found that the department had awarded funding denied to Wellness House to an organization that had not applied for such funding, and that the department had not published grant application review and award criteria.  Both matters were cited by Auditor General Harris as raising "questions as to the propriety and fairness of the process."
 

Dr. Brenda Bryant, Wellness House board president, attended every meeting with health department staff and Detroit City Council.  "We felt we had been treated unfairly and punitively, and the Auditor General's findings seemed to validate that perception."
 

However, the City has taken no action to correct or further review the health department's allocations process.

 
Adding to financial stress at Wellness House, Mayor Kilpatrick's 2004 budget reduced block grant funding to the agency by over 70% from the City's 2003 allocation and proposed 2004 City Council budget.  Finally, at the end of 2004, the health department – also administrator of federal dollaars for AIDS housing – cut a separate Wellness House housing budget by almost 30%.
 

Wellness House began 2005 with almost half a million dollars in lost funding.

 
"We rejected the contract offered by the health department" Fetzer explained.  "We could not accept or respond to their conditions which were based on allegations that they refused to provide documentation of." Fetzer said that he has had the full support of the Wellness House board of directors.  "Every member did what he or she could to keep this from happening.  Like staff, they are dedicated to and passionate about Wellness House" he said.
 

With a major gap in revenue, Wellness House struggled through this year to maintain services to its residents and clients in over 55 cities in southeastern Michigan.
 

The final blow came in the form of an eviction notice.  After ten years of operating from a leased building on the St. Dominic church campus near Wayne State University, the church announced its closing and told Wellness House to vacate by the end of October.

 
"We pleaded with Cardinal Maida to let us stay through the winter.  We simply could not afford to move and hoped that we could find new funding to keep at least our food programs going" Fetzer said.  While sympathetic to the request from Wellness House, Cardinal Maida wrote in a letter to Fetzer that he "must respect the recommendations of the parish community and the financial reality of this situation."

 
The Archdiocese was willing to let Wellness House remain in the building only on the condition that it guarantee the ability to assume 100% of costs associated with the entire old school building.  "When we found out that those costs may be as high as $9,000 a month, we had to accept their offer to let us stay through November" Fetzer stated, adding "Wellness House certainly could not afford that amount, and we did not expect the Archdiocese to subsidize our staying."
 

Gloria H. Sims, Coordinator of Emergency Food Services for Wellness House, described 2005 as 'constantly downhill'.  The clients have needed more services, and we couldn't supply their basic needs.  This has been very, very devastating." Sims also pointed out that clients have few – if any – other places to go for food.  "All Wellness House clients are on fixed or no income" she said, adding that "this is the worst, hardest time in my eighteen years here.  It is a very sad – very hurtful – situation."
 

Michelle Hawkins, Coordinator of Residential Services, said "It feels like a funeral.  We've known so many people, heard so many stories.  We've loved them, lost a lot of them and also saw many others move on and do well." Site Supervisor Jenine Walker is aggressively helping Wellness House residents find other living quarters.
 

"This is a nightmare" Walker said.  "There is a lot of gloom at the houses.  We are doing everything possible to get our people into other safe, decent affordable housing."
 

The irony of Wellness House ending services on World AIDS Day – December 1st is not lost on Fetzer.  "It's a bitter pill, and our clients have already had to swallow a million of those."
----------------------

Wellness House of Michigan (313-993-1336)
http://members.aol.com/DorisRD/wellness.htm
Robert J. Fetzer, Executive Director < >
1419 W. Warren (at Trumbull and Warren)
Detroit MI 48208

Wellness House of Michigan is an independent, privately run charitable organization dedicated to providing the basic necessities of life to people living with HIV disease. Wellness House exists to prevent and end homelessness for people with HIV/AIDS, thus ensuring that those we serve are able to maintain independence and dignity. By providing food and shelter, Wellness House promotes optimum health and self-empowerment.

 At 02:18 PM 8/24/05,     wrote:

It's time again for AIDS Walk Detroit, and time for me to beg everyone I know to pledge me as I hit the pavement for a thirteenth year.

Wellness House has never needed your support more.  Losses and reductions in federal funding have created serious problems for us to keep pace with the increased demands for food.

You can save time, postage and check writing by pledging me on-line!  The link below will take you to my personal pledge page at Steppin' Out's secure location where you can confidently make a contribution on your credit card. 

http://www.justgiving.com/pfp/RobFetzer

Please check out my page and consider pledging me.  If you want to join the Wellness House walk team, send me back your address and phone number where you would prefer your registration packet to be sent.  Don't trust your credit card to the Internet?  A check made payable to Steppin' Out can be sent to me at Wellness House, 1419 West Warren, Detroit 48208 (Wellness House will get every penny!) 

Thanks ~ and all best wishes!
Rob

-------------
2005

Wellness House of Michigan - programs provide assisted living transitional housing as well as distribution of food, food vouchers and vitamins.  Wellness House programs serve over 3,000 persons who live in 55 cities throughout five counties in southeastern Michigan.  Since services are targeted to those with HIV/AIDS who are also living at or below poverty level, most Wellness House clients are in the City of Detroit; however, their clients also are as far spread as Port Huron to Monroe.

Last year Wellness House:
- PROVIDED 4,479 DAYS OF HOUSING FOR 31 PERSONS
-  PERFORMED 10,790 ASSISTANCE IN DAILY LIVING SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS
-  ADDED 240 NEW PERSONS FOR NUTRITION SERVICES TO A CASELOAD OF APPROXIMATELY 3,000
-  DISTRIBUTED OVER 85 TONS OF NONPERISHABLE FOODS
- DISTRIBUTED 1,412 $40 FOOD VOUCHERS TO BELOW POVERTY LEVEL PERSONS TO HELP THEM BUY FRESH MEATS, FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND DAIRY PRODUCTS
-  PROVIDED OVER 1,041 EMERGENCY/SUPPLEMENTAL “GROCERY BAGS“ TO PERSONS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.
- DISTRIBUTED TURKEYS AND SPECIAL HOLIDAY FOODS TO OVER 300 HOMES
-  DISTRIBUTED 1,008 BOTTLES OF VITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS (EACH A 60 DAY SUPPLY)
- PROVIDED NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING, EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND SUPERVISED DIETETIC INTERNS

With the support of a widely diverse group of supporters – including a strong network of communities of faith – Wellnllness House has managed to maintain services this year despite the loss of almost $500,000 in governmental funding.  Ironically, Wellness House is struggling to survive even as it works relentlessly to support AIDS Survivors in Michigan.

------------
(April 2003, & June 2004)

Dear Friend of Wellness House:

Much has happened over the past fifteen months since I last wrote you about our programs to feed and house persons living with HIV disease.

For the first time in almost ten years, the rate of new HIV infections is increasing significantly. People are living longer without progressing to AIDS diagnosis, but those same people are getting poorer. Thankfully, most of us will never know what it is like to be homeless or below poverty level while struggling with what is still a terminal disease process.

Here is the reality we see daily: 80% of our clients have an average annual income of $8,500 – below poverty level; 20% report NO income at all.

With your help, Wellness House of Michigan provided essential, basic services to meet the needs of almost 1,500 local persons with HIV and AIDS. Here is what we did:

We are proud of our accomplishments and humbled by your support, but we know --- we can do better!

The need is critical. For example, food vouchers are restricted to persons who live at 80% of poverty level (less than $600 a month in income). We can currently afford to distribute about 185 vouchers each month, but we have over 400 eligible applicants!

I’ve told you about Wellness House services outputs, but you should know that we also evaluate outcomes. During the last year, almost 85% of our clients told us that our supplemental food allows them to eat regularly; we saw almost 23% experience weight gain while another 73% were able to maintain their weight; and 98% reported that having our supplemental food helped them to take their medications as prescribed!

We – you and Wellness House – are making a difference. Read the copies of letters I’ve included that came from a few of our clients, and know that their thanks also belong to you.

In approving our 2003 budget, the volunteer board members of Wellness House accepted the reality that we must raise $50,000 to meet the needs of those we serve.

Will you help us meet this challenge?

Please use the enclosed envelope to give whatever you can to help people right here in southeastern Michigan. Reply before the end of this month, and your contribution will be matched by the Feinstein Foundation! I have included a letter from Alan Feinstein that explains his $1,000,000 challenge.

I hope to hear from you soon, and thank you for your kind consideration.

With all best wishes ~
 

Wellness House of Michigan (313-993-1336)
http://members.aol.com/DorisRD/wellness.htm
Robert J. Fetzer, Executive Director, 
1419 W. Warren (at Trumbull and Warren)
Detroit MI 48208