are HIV-infected, an assistant director of the AIDS support group said yesterday.

Mrs. Lois Wilson, of Support Therapy for AIDS patients and their Relatives (STAR), was referring to the Bermuda Housing Corporation's decision to lease Winterhaven Carriage House on South Road in Smith's Parish, to STAR.

She said the two-storey home, on 3 of an acre just west of John Smith's Bay, was "something that we've been working toward for years.'' "Whereas the hospice is for people within six months of death, there is a need for those who are living with the virus,'' Mrs. Wilson said. "People can be living with the virus for over eight years, but not living in suitable conditions.'' Last year at the opening of Agape House for the terminally ill, Social Services and Housing Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness promised -- at the urging of former STAR director Mrs. Christine Atcheson -- to concentrate on finding housing for jobless and homeless persons going through the initial stages of AIDS.

Mr. Edness said people with the killer disease often had lost their jobs and subsequently their apartments, and their families did not want to take them in for various reasons.

He also said there were many people with the AIDS virus who were too sick to work but who did not need to be in the hospice.

Mrs. Wilson, agreed with this yesterday, adding that while the Salvation Army's shelter had been a "wonderful stopgap to some people,'' it was restricted to men and only available during the night.

Describing the living conditions of some infected people as "dire,'' Mrs.

Wilson said: "There are also a number of people who are just living on the streets, trying to make it from day to day. It's simply amazing that they can stay strong.'' She said in addition to providing shelter, Winterhaven would be run by Christian staff who would introduce "joy, happiness, a meaning and purpose to life'' for those living there.

The proposed development consists of the addition of a two-storey extension to create a seven bedroom residence.

Housing Corporation general manager Mr. Tom Wall said Winterhaven, with its "private, secluded and attractive rural setting'' should be an ideal setting for its proposed purpose.