Michele Boyer to Retire from Position of Director of Supportive Services — May 28, 2021

It is difficult if not impossible to sum up Michele’s achievements over 23 years of dedicated service. It’s not an understatement to say that Michele has, in many ways, been the beating heart of Clare Housing for the past two decades.

Michele began her work on February 16, 1998, only two years after modern anti-retroviral medications became widely available. At that time, she was the Program Director of Grace House, a Care Home that would later join what would become Clare Housing. Grace House and later Grace House II primarily provided hospice care for folks who were dying of complications of AIDS.

Over the next 5 years, more and more people were living successfully with the virus. She guided the programmatic development of the organization as it shifted from a hospice care model to independent living in apartments with supportive services and connections to healthcare. “It’s a tremendous challenge to serve 36 folks living with HIV under one roof,” Michele explained. “There are so many different needs being met at the exact same time.  Overall, it’s been really fun to see all these programs develop.”

As the needs of people living with HIV evolved, Michele was instrumental in ensuring that our models of care changed with the times. Michele and staff leadership created Project Undetectable, a program to encourage and support every Clare Housing resident in achieving their personal goal to become undetectable. Inspired by new ideas in the field, Michele also brought to Clare Housing the concepts of Housing First, and Harm Reduction models to our work.

Perhaps the greatest of her accomplishments has been the tremendous programming team she has hired and nurtured over the past two decades. “I’ll never have a team like this again,” she said. “This is just really special. I have learned so much from my staff and colleagues.”

Michele has received several awards recognizing her work including the inaugural Housing Hero award, the Twin Cities Quorum Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Twin Cities Business Journal Business of Pride Award. Of her work, Michele shares, “It doesn’t seem like 23 years. It’s been something new every year we’ve had to tackle. I feel like I just started.”

We will miss Michele, but the staff, board, and leadership of Clare Housing are excited for the new journey that she’s about to start. Michele will always be remembered as the hardworking, committed, and compassionate person she is. She is an example to look for and follow.

Save the date for Michele’s going away party which will be Thursday, July 8 from 5 to 8 pm at a location to be determined. Michele’s last day will be Thursday, July 15.