Grace House II

Grace House II was the fifth care home in the twin cities to provide housing and care to people living with HIV/AIDS.




It was opened in April, 1998 in response to the expanding need for housing and care services for people living with the disease. The home was built next to the original Grace House, allowing both homes to share resources and to create a beautiful garden and patio area that connects the two homes.

The vision for Grace House II was to create a new approach to HIV/AIDS housing and care. The design was intended to be a healing space, allowing each resident private space as well as common areas where the residents would gather for meals, activities and celebrations. The result was heralded as a wonderful success by both the design community, who was heavily invested in the project, and the HIV service community.

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The project was a labor of love and a beauty to behold. Two architects, David Goehring and Joel May, collaborated with board members, staff members, volunteers, residents and their families to determine their approach in designing the home. Their task was no easy feat. They wanted Grace House II to be a comfortable space for people who are very ill, with important amenities and the caregiver offices close by, while also creating a healing atmosphere for people with more independence. Lastly, the designers wanted Grace House II to be functional for the administrative staff members who would also office out of the homes. The architects worked with Whole Builders, the Interior Design Cooperative (made up of 17 talented interior designers and their sponsors) as well as a group of committed volunteers, board members and staff to build, finish and furnish the home. Major financial support in the construction of Grace House II was received from the Edward R. Bazinet Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation, the Family of Tom Holt, the Kopp Foundation, Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA), Minnesota Housing and Finance Agency (MHFA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Twin Cities to Chicago AIDS Ride.

Today, over a decade later, Grace House II has been home to 33 people, including nine individuals who received compassionate end-of-life care from our dedicated staff members before they passed away. Several other residents have moved out of Grace House II and into their own place.

John Whalen served as Executive Director from 1998 until his retirement in December of 2005. Clare Housing's current Program Director, Michele Boyer, was the first Program and Volunteer Coordinator for the home. Lee Haugee then started in July of 2000 as the volunteer and events coordinator. Nancy Wilke, a dedicated staff member who has been caring for residents of Grace House I and II since 1991, serves as the Unit Manager for the Grace Houses and as the Lead Caregiver at Grace House II.