How Far we have Come — June 27, 2022
By Scott “Scooter” Schroeder
Way back in the horror days of HIV, it was probably 87 or early 88, I was 24 and part of a household of Gay men and one of us had HIV. I had left school and moved in with these great guys who had a cute house with hardwood floors, stained glass windows and a white picket fence! Everything a queer boy of the day could ask for. I knew when I moved in that roommate “#2” had HIV etc. etc. Earlier that year I had come out to my parents, It didn’t go well, and I was terrified to inform them that my roommate was very seriously ill. I liked these guys right away and they chose me over the other roommate applicants. That meant a lot to me.
The man who owned the house was the lead caregiver and organized 24/7 care for our friend. One night I was awakened in the wee hours by furious pounding on our front door. I quickly grabbed a towel and nearly stumbled down the stairs to answer the door. Roommate # 1 was heard getting dressed behind me. Cops shined a light in my face and sternly asked, “Do you have a medical emergency?!!” To which I calmly answered, “Come on in, let’s go see.”
We walked to the back bedroom and there was roommate #2 sitting on the floor and in his compromised state, looked up and said, “At last, it’s about time!” Roommate #2 had gotten up on his own to use the toilet and didn’t have the strength to get back into bed. He had called other friends and asked them to call the house in an effort to wake us up. It didn’t work. In desperation he called 911.
My point in telling this story is that we, in metropolitan Minnesota have come a very long way in helping people who struggle with the myriad of responsibilities that come with HIV. As I look out at the rest of our state and our nation I am honored and humbled to have been a part of this health and housing movement. I am astonished at how far we have yet to go, and very proud that we have a healthy, functioning model of care to work from. And that model, like others in the country, is Clare Housing.