AH MONROE ADAPTS TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS RAISE A GLASS TO REPUBLIC NATIONAL DISTRIBUTING CO.

The Former Aids Help Shifts To Housing And Healthcare

mandy@keysweekly.com

Welcome to Taste of Key West, one of the premier annual fundraising events for the agency known as A.H. Monroe. And whether you’ve attended all 28 Taste events, or are heading to Truman Waterfront for the first time, let’s start with a little history of the group behind it.

In Key West, throughout the late ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s, the acronym AHI was familiar to many as AIDS Help Inc. worked tirelessly in the midst of the AIDS epidemic to provide healthcare and case management to people living with — and dying from — HIV and AIDS.

But as medical understanding, research, technology and pharmacology progressed, HIV became not only preventable, but a manageable, long-term diagnosis.

People were no longer dying from AIDS, but living with it. And while AIDS Help, of course, celebrated the advances and the end of a devastating epidemic, the nonprofit organization encountered a new problem: housing.

No longer in need of temporary housing that turned into hospice care, the agency’s clients were living long and fulfilling lives. The question became WHERE would they live? Where COULD they afford to live on an island quickly being overrun by second and third homeowners and vacation rentals that decimated the inventory of long-term rentals typically occupied by local workers.

So AIDS Help adapted, and broadened its mission. After careful thought, AIDS Help, Inc. became A.H. Monroe, to focus on continu- ing help and case management for their initial target population, while also providing Affordable Housing and Accessible Healthcare.

“Housing IS care,” says executive director Scott Pridgen who has become an expert in affordable housing since guiding the agency’s housing initiatives. “In Monroe County and elsewhere, healthcare is investing in affordable housing. A.H. Housing Services is for all. All our properties are open to people living with HIV/AIDS, Homeless Veterans, Elderly, Low-Income Households, as well as people living with assorted disabilities.

A.H. Monroe now operates five separate housing complexes in the city of Key West with a total of 137 apartments. Those are spread among Poinciana Royale (50 units), the newly renovated Marty’s Place (47 units), Seebol Place (14 units), Harvey House (11 units) and McCarthy Rogers (5 units).

The agency is also helping to develop The Lofts at Bahama Village, the long-awaited workforce housing neighborhood located on city-owned property at Truman Waterfront. The project represents a partnership among the nonprofit, the for-profit developers of Vestcor, the city of Key West and its Land Authority.

The Lofts will include 98 rental apartments and 28 home ownership townhouses that could break ground this September or October.

Pridgen and the team at A.H. Monroe learned by necessity the ins and outs of building affordable housing through community partnerships by using housing tax credits and other government programs. The Lofts units will be income restricted based on a household’s annual income.

THE COMPANY HAS DONATED WINE TO TASTE OF KEY WEST SINCE ITS BEGINNING mandy@keysweekly.com

Attendees know it as a helluva good time. A waterfront, springtime sunset filled with fantastic food and an endless array of wine, craft beers and other libations.

But the organizers and beneficiaries of Taste of Key West — A.H. Monroe — know it as a supremely generous gift from local businesses to the Key West community.

There is no fine print when it comes to Taste of Key West. No need to wonder how much of your donation actually reaches the intended recipient, no calculations of gross and net proceeds after expenses because the expenses are nearly nonexistent.

The generosity of all participating restaurants and beverage purveyors is what has made Taste of Key West so successful for the past 28 years. Attendees buy tickets at the door that are then traded for generous samples of food, wines and beers inside Truman Waterfront Park, which is lined with booths offering mouth-watering options.

But here’s where the Key West community, and specifically A.H. Monroe, wins — all food, wine, beer, prep time, labor costs and set-up time is donated by the food and drink providers. All of it.

“We couldn’t do this without them and their generosity,” said Scott Pridgen, A.H. Monroe executive director. “The amount of food, drinks, preparation and staff time that these companies donate is really unparalleled and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

The 280 or so options for wine and beer all are provided by Republic National Distributing Co., which has been the main beverage sponsor for Taste of Key West since its inception 28 years ago, said Roxi Garciga, who handles public relations and special events for RNDC in Florida.

“I’ve personally been involved with Taste of Key West for the past 17 years, but Republic National has been donating the wine and beer since the beginning. Each year, I ask our suppliers and the brands we represent who wants to donate and participate, and there’s never a shortage of willing participants,” Garciga said. “The companies are really happy to do it, knowing it’s going to such a good and worthy cause. And really, who’s not happy to come to Key West for a few days while taking part in a great charity event? It’s really not a tough sell.” Community involvement and volunteerism are among the tenets of RNDC, and Taste of Key West is the largest wine-tasting event the company supports.

“We are committed to serving and enabling the positive well-being and success of our many communities and stakeholders,” states the family-owned company’s website. “Republic National Distributing Co.’s commitment to corporate social responsibility is part of our DNA. … We participate in charitable and advocacy efforts that strengthen the social character, well-being, and growth of the many communities where we live and operate.”

Nowhere is that philosophy more apparent than at Taste of Key West. Let’s raise a glass together at Taste of Key West on Monday, April 24 at Truman Waterfront. See ya there.