In 1992 through the work of then executive director Eric Rofes and residence director Ramon Matos, Shanti Project procured the Americana Suites on Market and Howard to be the newest addition to Shanti’s other residences. Called Shanti House, the residence program would grow to have a budget larger than some smaller AIDS organizations in the city of San Francisco. It was the largest AIDS housing program in the U.S. at this time. Featuring x y and z rooms and space. Shanti House would provide housing to both men and women living with AIDS and “debilitating” HIV. Some were private rooms, others two bedroom apartments. When Shanti House opened its doors in 1993 actor and comedian Robin Williams served as the ribbon cutter. Sadly, Shanti House would serve as the source, or scapegoat, of scandal regarding Shanti’s financial budget and decisions made on the part of the housing program, Rofes, and deputy director Melinda Paras. That particular scandal resulted in Shanti Project losing its housing contracts with the city and county of San Francisco. Shanti House would lose its name and its contracts were transferred to Catholic Charities by the beginning of 1994.
