Damien Center Announces $4 Million Capital Campaign

Indiana’s largest AIDS Service Organization (ASO) plans new 56,000-square-foot headquarters and campus on near eastside of Indianapolis, allowing expansion of their comprehensive service model

INDIANAPOLIS – The Damien Center today announced a $4 million capital campaign to support the construction of a new 56,000-square-foot headquarters on the Near East Side of Indianapolis. The new facility will enable the Damien Center to expand and enhance its one-stop-shop model of comprehensive HIV medical care that provides clients the fundamental necessities for living a sustainable and secure life.

Since 1987, the Damien Center has served as Indiana’s largest AIDS Service Organization (ASO) by providing services to more than 25% of all individuals living with HIV in the state. Last year, the Center doubled the number of clients served five years ago, caring for 5,771 unique clients in 2021.

In 2018, Marion County was targeted as an HIV hotspot by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for Ending the HIV Epidemic. To offer programs and services that address this epidemic, the Damien Center scaled their staff from 40 employees in 2018 to more than 150 today. As a result, the nonprofit has outgrown the current 15,000 square-foot facility.

The new space will include a larger Damien Cares clinic with multiple exam rooms, new dental and vision services, a lab, and an expanded food pantry and pharmacy. The Damien Center will also be able to expand their current youth programming, housing, prevention, and harm reduction programs and introduce up to 10 new programs and services with the additional square footage.

“The One Home Campaign is the vision for the future of the Damien Center and will help us expand and introduce new programs and services that break down barriers and allow our team to provide quality, equitable, and inclusive care,” said Alan Witchey, president and CEO at Damien Center. “A larger facility within the geographic epicenter of the HIV epidemic will enable us to engage 2,000 new clients in the first year of occupancy, serve 300 new families each month through expanded food and nutrition programs, bring 1,000 HIV+ individuals who are not currently receiving care into medical treatment within three years, and help 1,200 individuals living with HIV reach viral suppression.”

“This is an exciting day for the Damien Center, an organization that has been a pillar in the Indianapolis community for more than three decades,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “The One Home campaign to support a new state-of-the-art headquarters is an opportunity for greater access to fundamental services. Plus, not only will it improve the lives of Damien Center clients, but it will also positively impact the lives of all neighbors who live, work, and play on the near eastside.”

“The Damien Center has a long-standing history of working to address HIV in Marion County,” said Virginia A. Caine, M.D, director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department. “It was quick to react to the impending AIDS epidemic and was the first organization to step up as a host site for our Safe Syringe Access and Support mobile unit when it launched in 2019. The One Home campaign provides The Damien Center an opportunity to further expand services and resources needed to help end HIV and make a positive difference in the lives of residents and our community.”  

The new building will be located at the corner of East Washington St. and Oriental Ave., adjacent to the existing Damien Center headquarters at 26 N. Arsenal Ave., Indianapolis. The addition of a new facility will create a multibuilding Damien Center campus. The organization plans to continue utilizing the current building located at 26 N. Arsenal Ave. and recently purchased a neighboring building located at 1446 E. Washington St. that was previously operated by Zonie’s Closet. A taskforce is actively exploring options for how best to repurpose these two spaces.

Construction of the new headquarters is expected to officially begin by spring 2023 and be completed by the end of 2024. Design and construction for the project is led by Axis Architecture and The Skillman Corporation. 

Thanks to a generous matching gift (up to $500,000) from the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, Damien Center fully anticipates reaching its fundraising goal through individual and community donations in the months to come. Individuals and groups wishing to learn more and make a secure online donation can visit www.damienonehome.org.

“Our $500,000 grant to the Damien Center’s new facility will help them double the number of staff dedicated to substance use disorder and behavioral health services, allowing 2,000 more people to receive services every year,” said Claire Fiddian-Green, president & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. “This aligns with the Foundation’s work to address some of Indianapolis’ biggest public health challenges, which includes the goal of preventing and addressing substance use disorder.”

See renderings of the Damien Center’s proposed new headquarters here.

About Damien Center:

Damien Center is Indiana’s oldest and largest AIDS service organization and leads the effort to prevent the spread of HIV. The Center opened in 1987 and offers a one-stop-shop model of care that includes preventive, supportive, and medical services that empowers people in Central Indiana affected by HIV/AIDS to move forward each day with dignity so

they may live abundant and productive lives. Damien Center believes passionately in the dignity and worth of every person who seeks their services and strives to be a safe and welcoming place so that no barriers separate people from the services they need to prolong and enhance their lives. For more information visit: http://www.damien.org or follow them on Twitter at @DamienCenter or like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thedamiencenter/.