THE OFFICE OF HIV PLANNING, 340 N. 12TH ST. Photo: Timothy Cwiek

The region’s Office of HIV Planning helps community groups set priorities for more than $25 million annually in AIDS funding, but some AIDS activists say the office needs to be more accessible to the public.

The building that houses the OHP, at 12th and Callowhill streets, has a front door that’s opened by a security code. OHP staffers aren’t permitted to divulge the code due to security concerns, said director Mari Ross-Russell.

“The code is just supposed to be given to our eight staffers,” Ross-Russell said. “People live in the building, and if the code becomes too widely known, it will be changed by management.”

Under the current arrangement, visitors to the OHP are advised to call ahead so that a staffer can admit them. During community meetings, an OHP staffer is stationed at the front door to let people inside, the director said.

Ross-Russell acknowledged that isn’t the best use of a staffer’s time.

She’s hoping a system will be devised that allows visitors to open the front door after announcing their presence to an OHP staffer by using a speakerphone.

“We’re working with the building’s management and the people who designed our phone system to address this issue,” she said.

There’s an additional challenge to entering the building for disabled visitors: A person must walk up six steps to get to the front entrance. Though there’s a wheelchair ramp at the rear of the building, it leads to a locked door.

At that door, there is no device for a visitor to contact the OHP and gain entry. The OHP is trying to have an access device installed there shortly, Ross-Russell said.

Jose DeMarco, a member of ACT UP, said modifications to make the building more accessible must be completed promptly. He said it’s an unnecessary burden to expect people with AIDS to call in advance before visiting the office.

If a ramp can’t be installed at the front of the building, signs should be posted to inform handicapped visitors about the rear ramp, DeMarco added.

“People with AIDS must be able to access the building with a minimum of inconvenience,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any impediments to getting inside — especially for someone with a disability.”

Ross-Russell said she’s trying to get a ramp sign installed near the front entrance and is working with building management to have the sign put up.

The OHP has been located at 340 N. 12th St., just north of the Vine Street Expressway, for about four months. It pays $60,000 annually in rent for about 5,000 square feet of office space on the second floor. According to Ross-Russell, a similar location in Center City would be much more expensive.

Another concern about the 12th Street location is the occupancy limit, which is posted at 50 people.

Waheedah Shabazz-El, an ACT UP member, is one of the activists who raised the concern.

“I’d like to see hundreds of people attending these community meetings. And if that room isn’t big enough, they should be finding a space big enough to hold the community,” Shabazz-El said.

Ross-Russell said the 50-person limit is an estimate supplied by the building’s management and that the OHP plans to ask the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections for a definitive occupancy limit for the room.

“If we know that a larger group is coming, we would consider our options,” she said. “In the past, we’ve held meetings in other spaces for that reason.”