"I needed to stay on myself, by myself," he says.

Other residents, however, are not so pleased with their experiences at the center.

Rich and Dave have each lived there for only one-and-a-half weeks, but they say they are disappointed with the way they have been treated. They say the quality of counseling is poor.

"The [homeless] shelter is cleaner and they have no attitude," says Rich, 39, a former cook who lost his job when he was diagnosed with pneumocystis cariniae, a disease contracted by AIDS patients.

Dave, 28, a former advertising professional, says he used to earn $24,000 a year in Florida. But after he discovered he was HIV-positive, his life took a turn for the worse.

After his parents kicked him out of the house when they found out he was HIV-positive, he decided to leave his job.

Tired of working for other people, and cognizant of his limited energies, Dave moved to Boston for its reputed health care.

But the Cambridge center has yet to live up to Dave's expectations.

"They need something in the line of how to treat people," he says. "All [employees] here as smart as we are or as creative as we are."

Dave and Rich applaud Lahti's attempts to sustain the center, but they are severely critical of the way many staff members treat residents.

One night some residents were eating pizza and playing pinball. Rich says the YMCA attendant "told me if I took better care of myself I wouldn't be in this predicament."

After a wisecrack by Dave, the attendant became angry and he would not give them the key to their rooms.

Name calling ensued and the police were called to the scene by the attendant. But when the police discovered that Dave lives in the residence, the police did not take any further action.

Dave and Rich also claim they were promised better facilities than they have received. The two men say they had been promised a full kitchen in every room, but instead, kitchens are located only on every other floor.

They also complain that social security does not provide them with enough money for food.