Robert had no job, no money, no home, and he was fatally ill. He was soon to be released from Charity Hospital and had nowhere to go. Robert has acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
The Rev. Robert Pawell, O.F.M., heard about Robert. He and other Franciscans decided to give Robert an apartment, pay his living expenses and offer him friendship.
“Soon I began to hear of others in the same situation as Robert,” Pawell said. “I realized something should be done to help.”
With the consent of his superior and Archbishop Phillip Hannan, Pawell opened The Dwelling, a home for AIDS victims. The home is in a church-owned building and its address is kept secret to guard against protesters and vandalism.
Currently, one person is a resident there. Eventually it will house six, Pawell said.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans provides free room and board, basic medical care and counseling for the residents of The Dwelling, Pawell said, and they can stay until they can no longer care for themselves and must be hospitalized.
“Donations, at this point, are meeting the needs of the Dwelling,” Pawell said. “Many private organizations in the French Quarter have contributed. As more people find out about the project, we are receiving more support.”
“AIDS is a very lonely disease,” he said. “There is a stigma attached to having AIDS, and the sufferer is isolated because so many people are afraid they will catch AIDS by being in the same room with a victim.”
“AIDS cannot be spread by casual contact,” Pawell emphasized. “It is important to realize this. Too many people have hysterical perceptions of the disease, and those with AIDS are becoming the outcasts of society.”
But, Pawell said overall, the New Orleans community has been very supportive. However, he said he received hate mail from a fundamentalist group that he described as “narrow-minded and judgmental.”
“What is being done with the home for AIDS victims is wonderful,” said Libby Tisdell, associate campus minister. “In the Gospels, Jesus helped those whom others shunned. We must remember that someone with AIDS is first a person, and we can help them deal with the illness,” she said.
Besides the home, Pawell said that evenings of prayer are held throughout New Orleans for the AIDS victims. “We will pray for the victims and promote understanding of the disease,” he said.
“The disease is affecting more and more people. The Dwelling will be able to house six people and that’s a start,” Pawell said. “I used to say AIDS is just one black cloud on a sunny day. Now it’s a whole lot more than that.”
