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Manhattan HIV, AIDS Patients Still Homeless After Sandy

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - At the height of superstorm Sandy, the Hudson River shattered the glass doors and swamped the Bailey-Holt House on Christopher Street.

WCBS 880's Alex Silverman On The Story

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"It's the first AIDS housing program in the nation," said CEO Gina Quattrochi. It now has about $1 million in damage.

She said there in Evacuation Zone B, the last thing she expected was to have to scatter the 44 residents in shelters and temporary housing around the city. But that was the challenge she faced.

"I just learned about one of our clients who was admitted to the hospital in a crisis last night. Our clients are beginning to fall apart. They've held on the for the last couple of weeks," she told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman. "This is the community that nurtured and stabilized many of them."

She, too, is getting desperate.

"We're stuck right now. I made a pledge that I would spend New Year's Eve in the building with the residents. That's looking dim at this point," she said.

What they really need, she says, is a construction company to come forward and volunteer its services.

"We're not going to let Bailey House go down. You know what we need is? We need a Santa Claus," she said.

There is an emergency fund. You can donate by clicking here.

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