Moment #01: September 9, 1985 – Chicago House is incorporated as a non-profit

On September 9, 1985, Chicago House was officially incorporated as a nonprofit providing housing for Chicagoans living with AIDS. The agency’s original mission was to “provide housing to people with AIDS and AIDS-related complex who could not maintain themselves in their homes.” While our services and mission have expanded considerably in thirty-five years, our work has always centered around housing the most vulnerable.

Earlier in 1985, nearly 100 community activists gathered at the Baton Show Lounge to address the dire need for housing among community members with AIDS. At the time, before the adoption of highly successful modern-day medical treatment regimens, being diagnosed with this somewhat mysterious illness that we now call HIV/AIDS did not hold promise for recovery. In addition, AIDS carried immense social stigma, including for the droves of young gay men who suddenly fell ill, and support resources nationally and in Chicago were scarce. Individuals diagnosed with AIDS lost much more than their health, commonly finding themselves without a home, a job, or the support of loved ones as symptoms progressed, often rapidly. Something needed to be done.

Arlene Halko, a Chicago House founder who was among the group gathered at the Baton Lounge to identify a solution, recalled of that initial meeting, “The one thing we all had was that we had one thing in mind. We had friends who were dying, and to see their families and their lovers turn away from them—it was like they had the plague, and of course they didn’t. It was shattering.”

Long before there was a solid understanding of HIV/AIDS, an effective form of treatment, or widespread social services or community support for individuals living with AIDS, Chicago House formed to fulfill a fundamental need: a place to live and die with dignity.