Damien Center unveils new Mosaic Building headquarters
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Indiana’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS organization says its new $29 million building in Indianapolis will allow it to provide more services and expand resource offerings to people who need support.
Damien Center’s new 56,000-square-foot Mosaic Building is adjacent to its current facility on the city’s near east side. It’s the state’s first purpose-built facility for people living with HIV, the organization says.
The building features a clinic with 18 medical exam rooms, a mental health suite, dental bays, an expanded pharmacy and food pantry and more.
Damien Center President and CEO Alan Witchey tells Inside INdiana Business the previous space became too small and clients had to put on waiting lists to receive services. Last year, Damien Center provided care to more than 12,000 clients from all 92 counties in Indiana—a 134% increase from 2023.
“Finally, we can see everybody who needs care. It’s almost sort of unfathomable for us in some ways, because we’ve been living in a world for so long where we’ve had to say, ‘No, we can’t serve you,’ or ‘Hey, we can serve you, but it’s going to take this long,'” Witchey said. “What an amazing moment in our history to recognize we’re not going to turn people away.”
The center says the new space will allow it to expand current housing, prevention, and harm reduction programs and give the option of adding new programs and services in the future. Clients can utilize a computer lab and visit the cafeteria for hot meals every weekday.
Witchey said the near east side of Indianapolis has seen its struggles when it comes to medical care with some of the lowest rates in the state for people who need care but aren’t able to find it. But, he noted that there is a lot of redevelopment happening to reverse those trends.
“There’s so much being contributed to the near east side to try to help this community grow, because we know that right now, the highest rates of overdoses, the highest rates of HIV, the highest rates of homelessness, exist here,” he said. “We are just part of a bigger puzzle that’s pulling together these pieces to find solutions for this community.”
Damien Center also expanded its Employment Services Center, which serves 500 people each year. A hospitality training program just welcomed its second cohort, and clients can also learn computer skills and participate in education programs.
“If you want to get out of poverty, you have to increase your income. The best path is employment support and education and training, and we are able to expand that to hundreds more people in this new facility,” Witchey said. “We’ll have outside people who can now come in and do more training, mentoring and guidance for people.”
The building’s name refers to a 1,700 square-foot mosaic installation inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
