Because both men are faced with a deadly disease, they must eat well in order to continue to live. The government, they say, has not given them enough support to maintain their health.

"What gets me is that what I pay in rent, I could add $50 to and have my own place," Dave says.

"I am going to fuck up the government good," Rich says. "I am going to live 100 years."

Dave and Rich, who say they plan to move into an apartment by Monday, have requested a meeting with Cambridge Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 to discuss their situation.

The two men, however, seem to be the exception. Most residents say they are pleased with the facilities.

One gay couple, who has lived in the residence for about two weeks, say they have chosen to live temporarily in the center until they become more financially stable.

The two men, who say they left Oklahoma to escape the state's strict sodomy laws, decided to come to Massachusetts where they hope to register for a domestic partnership agreement. The men call the residence "just another stepping stone."

George, one of the elder residents at the center, is about 65 years old and speaks with a distinctive British accent.

George, who was schooled in London, has lived in the residence for about six months since he retired from Raytheon, a local defense contractor. Because his social security check is insufficient to both rent an apartment and send money back to his family in London, George has chosen to stay at the center. But he says he hopes to return to London next month.

In contrast to the George's more worldly background, most residents apparently hail from the Boston area.

Gary, 39, who has lived in the residence for seven and a half months, was forced to leave his Roxbury home due to what he termed "domestic problems." He soon traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada where he worked at a plasma center.

Since returning to Boston, Gray says he has returned to a local health center to study histology instead of immediately looking for job opportunities.

Lahti says the residence has done its best to live up to the YMCA's motto, "health of body, mind and spirit." But the center has encountered several problems.

"Here and nationally," says Lahti, "we have to look seriously at how we are running centers and we must hire the appropriate staff to run the programs."

Lahti indicates that he might leave within the year, which would leave a big gap for the local YMCA to fill.

But he says he needs a change to re-energize himself, and he also sees the need for new blood in the residence program.

Day after day for several years, Lahti says he has faced numerous difficult and troubling circumstances. But he says he has continued to chug along, knowing that his spirited optimism has improved the lives of less fortunate people.

He says about 97 percent of the men are able to obtain "marginal employment" and some eventually land secure "normal jobs."

But more important than seeing results, Lahti realizes that he is fulfilling his duty to help others.

"We have to believe that we all have the capacity to change even in the deepest parts of our beings," he says. "Humans have the capacity to change. That is the one thing that gives us hope."