Responding effectively to special needs, COMHAR is the only agency in Philadelphia offering a range of programs to serve individuals diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and mental illness and their families or caregivers. Due to the infection's pervasive impact on life's social, occupational, and psychological spheres, each program addresses these areas as part of an integrated whole and aims to restore balance to consumers' lives. COMHAR's services include counseling for loved ones affected by HIV/AIDS and referrals as needed to other programs within an active network of HIV/AIDS service providers.

Philadelphia AIDS Counseling and Treatment Services (PACTS)
PACTS offers outpatient psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families, and, wherever possible, accommodates requests for therapists according to ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. A psychiatrist is also available for consultation, evaluation, treatment, and medication management. Individuals dealing with active substance addiction are referred to a substance abuse program prior to receiving PACTS services. Day, evening, and Saturday hours offer convenient access to PACTS.

Community Living Room (CLR)
The Community Living Room, a nationally-acclaimed psychiatric rehabilitation day program, embraces its members in a welcoming, engaging environment that provides education and skill-building opportunities to develop healthier, more rewarding lives. CLR emphasizes members' strengths, choices, achievements, creativity, and dreams. Egalitarian relationships between staff and members support CLR's primary goals of helping people to establish effective social and support networks; achieve successes—no matter how small—in order to build toward greater accomplishment; and empower themselves with knowledge of mental health, HIV, and substance abuse issues. Members attend professionally facilitated cooperative group sessions and workshops that address illness management, risk prevention, holistic therapies, daily living skills, creative expression, understanding relationships, sexuality, goal-setting, and decision-making. They also gather daily for a home-cooked hot lunch and enjoy outings in the community.

TRIAD Partial Hospital Program
TRIAD provides intensive day treatment services for individuals dealing with the complications of HIV/AIDS, acute mental illness, substance abuse issues. The aim is to prevent consumers recurring hospitalization and relapse into substance abuse. With services available six hours each day, Monday through Friday, TRIAD also provides the structure and attention that benefit individuals leaving inpatient psychiatric facilities. Multidisciplinary staff integrate mental health and addiction treatment with HIV/AIDS awareness and educational strategies to provide consumers with the strongest possible supports. Through individual and group psychotherapy, psychiatric treatment as needed, peer support, and 12-step groups, TRIAD consumers begin the process of achieving stability and recovery to function at their optimal level.

Housing Supports
COMHAR provides rent-subsidized housing through its CASSAH and COMPASS programs, making units in Philadelphia available to individuals, couples, and single-parent or two-parent families who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and mental illness. Eligibility for subsidized housing extends to residents of Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania; and Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester Counties in New Jersey.

Choosing COMHAR's Services

Consumers can access Mental Health HIV services by referring themselves or by referral from family members or from hospitals, doctors, case managers, or other professional providers. Admission to all HIV services is through the PACTS Intake unit.

Mental Health HIV/AIDS Services
121 North Board Street
3rd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-569-8414