Casey House (Toronto)

Casey House was the first stand-alone hospice for people dying of AIDS in Canada. Aware that community relations would be especially important to establish such an institution in a residential neighborhood, Callwood and other volunteers met with community leaders before the location of the project was announced in 1986, then organized door-to-door visits to provide information to residents. Work on establishing the hospice first began in October 1986, when June Callwood and Margaret McBurney helped volunteers to register and incorporate Casey House as a charity. In March 1987, the former Fife House at 9 Huntley was purchased and renovated with $1 million from the Ontario Ministry of Health and $500,000 from the first Drag Queen fundraiser show for the project. By March 1988, Casey House opened its doors. The first client, who was in isolation for months and was delivered to the hospice by medics wearing masks and gowns, was received by Casey House with an embrace. Around this time, the life expectancy of a person diagnosed with AIDS was 9 months. The opening of Casey House marked the first hospice in the world to provide support and palliative care for people with HIV/AIDS, at a time when little was yet known about the disease and the ignorance and fear surrounding it were intense. June's goal for Casey House was to establish a place of medical excellence in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and, most importantly, a place of love and compassion. Instead, HIV became more treatable but not curable, so more care was needed. The building has since been transformed from a hospice to a hospital under the Ontario Hospital Act. From 2000-2009, and permanently since 2018, Casey House operates from the former Johnston (Coach) House (c. 1875 built by Langley and Burke for William R. Johnston) at 119 Isabella Street (571 Jarvis Street) in the heart of Toronto's gaybourhood. Fife House remains a part of Casey's House, now repurposed as a transitional housing facility for unhoused people living with HIV-AIDS. Casey and Diana, a dramatization by playwright Nick Green of the 1991 visit of Diana, Princess of Wales to Casey House, premiered at the 2023 Stratford Festival under the direction of Andrew Kushnir. ==Expansion==

In 2000, the hospital acquired the 1875 William R. Johnston house that fronts onto Jarvis Street, formerly nicknamed "the Grey Lady" by neighborhood residents due to its grey paint (now removed). In 2015 renovation begun on the existing mansion, to restore its heritage features In October 2010, with the medical advances of HIV and AIDS, the need arises to care for patients with HIV/AIDS focusing on treating their illness, and not just providing comfort for their last days. A $10 million capital campaign was launched to supplement the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's commitment to fund the construction of an expanded facility. This $10 million campaign was completed in February 2017, by then the campaign was dubbed "Rebuilding Lives Capital Campaign". The new 58,000 square foot health care center designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects allows Casey House to expand and improve upon its capacity to provide advanced HIV/AIDS specialty health care services including inpatient, day health care and community care, including outreach. ==References==