History

The Joseph’s House community was first envisioned by Dr David Hilfiker in the late 1980s when he saw the toll that the AIDS epidemic was taking among poor and homeless African-American men—many with addictions and/or mental illnesses and a need for skilled compassionate care. Dr. Hilfiker believed that community itself could be a deep source of healing and transformation for those suffering from end stage AIDS as well as people who come to assist them. Joseph’s House emerged from Dr. Hilfiker’s vision.

Since then, the scope of Joseph's House is evolving further to embrace more of the dying homeless in our nation’s capital. Over the years, Joseph's House has grown in its capacity to care for homeless people, many with mental illnesses and substance abuse issues, who are right on the edge of life and death. Since Joseph's House is small and not a traditional hospice (residents can stay no longer than 6 months at a traditional hospice), residents can be integrated into the life of the Joseph's House community, sometimes for 8-10 months. By being a home, residents know they are in a place where everyone longs to be when they are most vulnerable and dying.

Above all, Joseph’s House offers a caring human presence for men and women who would otherwise face a lonely, isolated death. For over 19 years, Joseph's House has maintained a loving and accepting community in which nursing and personal care services have been provided to over hundreds of residents.

Physical location: 1730 Lanier Place, NW Washington, DC 20009
House (Referrals) Phone: (202) 265-7174