Project Care: Fenicia’s Story
Connection
“When you’ve got cancer it's OK, but when you have HIV or AIDS, everybody wants to push you away,” Fenicia* shared.
Fenicia grew up in an unstable environment with her stepparents in Florida. Facing childhood sexual abuse, she turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the trauma. Addiction gripped her through most of her teen years and extended into adulthood. While in a treatment center for substance abuse, another patient sexually assaulted her. Unfortunately for Fenicia, the facility discovered that the attacker transmitted AIDS to her during the assault.
Fenicia told Go Upstate, "When he said, 'I've got full-blown AIDS,' I went berserk. It really messed me up for about a year.” She even considered suicide.
Seeking additional support and to be closer to family, she moved to Greenville in 2009. Fenicia sought assistance from AID Upstate, a local nonprofit that provides comprehensive HIV/AIDS care. Her case manager connected her with Project Care.
Project Care is a nonprofit organization serving homeless people in the Upstate of South Carolina who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Project Care collaborates with local partners to find stable housing, comprehensive medical care, and case management services for participants.
With modern medication, Project Care helps individuals regulate their medication so they can live longer, healthier lives. The Stevens House at Project Care is an emergency shelter that can house up to six people. People pay a percentage of their income to stay in the shelter temporarily. The goal is to move them into transitional housing and help them find a permanent place to call home.
“I am now on HIV medication… and my health is great generally. I am one of the fortunate ones,” says Fenicia.
Fenicia now spends her time speaking in the community about HIV/AIDS and attempts to eliminate the stigma associated with the diagnosis. She believes it is time to re-educate the community because silence can be deadly. But she says, “One voice can't do it. We need a lot of voices.”
Like Fenicia, the Greenville Homeless Alliance (GHA) understands that it will take many organizations working in harmony to overcome the systems that prevent access for those who need help. GHA is a proud partner of Project Care, with a mission to provide safe, affordable housing for all on its quest to end homelessness in and around the Upstate of South Carolina.
* In 2024, Fenicia passed away at the age of 67 years old. Studies have shown that the average lifespan of a homeless person is shortened by 17.5 years in comparison to the general population. People experiencing homelessness are 8.5 times more likely to be affected by HIV than the general population, facing unique health challenges that often go untreated. About 50% of people living with HIV in the United States are at risk of housing instability.