About AHAT

History

AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma (AHAT) was founded in 1989. With the assistance of members of Christ Church Episcopal of Tacoma and other community volunteers, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation was formed to provide safe, alternative housing for people with HIV/AIDS in Pierce and Kitsap Counties. The church provided the house for one dollar per year until it was purchased in 2002. The community provides volunteers and donations; other financial support comes from city, state and federal grants.

AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma/Three Cedars has provided special needs-assisted living and housing for almost a hundred HIV/AIDS residents since we opened in June 1990. We remain the only facility of our type from King County to the Oregon border to offer housing and enriched services to HIV/AIDS residents. Today, almost two-thirds of our residents return to community living after stabilizing their health and achieving medical adherence.

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Board of Directors

  • Gary Hill, president
  • Diane Soucey, vice president
  • Linsey Hinand, treasurer
  • Jennifer Hancock, secretary
  • George Hawkes
  • Charlotte Wolfe

Staff Biographies

David Strong, executive director of AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma, completed the University of Washington’s certificate programs in Human Service Management and Nonprofit Management. He is a member of the Northwest Development Officers Association and serves on the boards of the Pride Foundation, Multifaith Works, Religious Coalition for Equality and Covenant House Campus Ministry at the University of Washington.

Melody Yerxa, client services director, has been on staff since 2000. She received a B.A. in liberal arts, concentrating in human services, from Evergreen State College. She supervises a staff of six program assistants, as well as provides care management, informal counseling, and systems coordination for all clients. Melody also serves as a domestic violence perpetrator counselor in the community.

Robert Kinch served as Marketing & Development Director for Community Health Care in Tacoma from 1990 to 2009. Community Health Care is a federally supported Community Health Center serving low income and uninsured Pierce County Residents with high quality medical and dental care. Robert’s role in the organization included grant writing for federal, state and local funding and the development of community support for the 30 million dollar a year program that operated eight medical and two dental clinics.

Prior to his service with Community Health Care, Robert’s career included employment with the State of Washington, King County and several years of additional non-profit management experience, including service as Executive Director of two different statewide non-profit organizations.

Robert holds a BA degree from the University of Puget Sound and a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. He also has a Certificate of Advanced Professional Studies from the Berkeley Center for Alcohol Studies. Robert lives in Tacoma with his wife, Cecilia.

Supporters

Broadway CaresBroadway Cares awarded AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma $5,000 to support the Living Well Peer Support Program.