Emille Van Oosterzee sits in his room at HVO De-Aak. Diagnosed with HIV in 1996, he has lived in government housing for 14 years. He says, "Moving into HVO was like a 100 kilos was taken off my shoulders. It gave me the chance to reflect on my life and on the things I have done wrong."

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — The entry way to Emille Van Oosterzee's room. When talking about his addiction, Emille, 60, says, "Now that I've been asleep for so long, I don't think I can wake up anymore... to wake up and try." He lost the will to take care of himself and intends to live at the nursing home for the rest of his life.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Hensley Michiel, 51, prepares a hit of crack in his room. Diagnosed with HIV in 1994, he was in poor health and near death before moving into the nursing facility. He has been using heavy drugs for 28 years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Marzouz "Mo" Mormed, front, consoles himself after returning from the funeral of a close friend, Vera Van Werven, 51. Vera had recently moved out of the nursing home into an apartment, where she died of an overdose.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Emille Van Oosterzee smokes crack in his room. Although the residents of HVO De-Aak are allowed to use drugs and drink alcohol in their rooms, the drugs are not provided by the nursing facility.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Diana Vorstenbosch, 51, left, and Emille Van Oosterzee, 60, sit in the common area that doubles as a living room and dining room at HVO-De Aak. They were in the same drug scene when they were younger and have known each other for more than 20 years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Wilma Harteveld, 49, sits alone in her room. Wilma moved into HVO after she was diagnosed with cancer. Her addiction began when she was 11 years old, after her stepfather injected her with morphine in order to rape her.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Bart Koelewijn, 49, takes his morning shower. Bart lived on the street for 10 years before moving into HVO-De Aak. The nursing home offers him stability and a quality of life he has not had in a long time.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Emille Van Oosterzee, 60, and a friend (name withheld) share a laugh. Emille says it's hard to know whom to trust when living with other addicts, but several of the residents have a least one other person they depend on.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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A bedside table is littered with random drug paraphernalia.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Hensley Michiel, 51, smokes crack cocaine in his room at HVO-De Aak. He has lived at the nursing home for almost two years and hopes to live there for the rest of his life. He is worried that he will die if he leaves.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Marzouz "Mo" Mormed injects himself with insulin under the supervision of the nursing staff. Many of the residents have serious health conditions that must be monitored daily.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Hensley Michiel waits to use an ATM before meeting a local drug dealer. Being one of the more mobile residents and a natural hustler, Hensley makes the run several times a day.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Hensley Michiel sits alone in his room at HVO De-Aak, a nursing home for homeless and drug-addicted people on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Margrid "Margreet" Jansen, 51, sits in a haze of drug smoke. Margreet says she was drawn to the exciting and lucrative life of the drug world. She started shooting heroin when she was 15.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — Margaret Van Toorn, 50, returns to her room after receiving her night medication from the nurses station down the hall. Supported by the Dutch government, the nursing facility offers 24-hour care and a home for people who have no place else to go.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Marzouz "Mo" Mormed, 36, center, is the only resident to attended the funeral of Vera Van Werven, 51. She was buried in a grave provided for drug users by the Drugspastoraat Amserdam, a nonprofit organization.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Emille Van Oosterzee has had a difficult time accepting that he is HIV-positive. He is angry at himself because he thought he was too smart and careful to become infected. After seeing a photo of himself, he asks, "What has happened to me? I look so old."

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Hensley Michiel smokes a crack and heroin mixture in his room. He began free-basing in 1982 when he was an accountant in his home country of Curacao. He says he was hooked from that day. "When the devil catches you, it's over. The devil is always standing on the corner looking for victims. He's gonna take you to hell."

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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Amsterdam — A nursing home resident looks out the window on a warm spring day. The residents spend most of the day alone in their rooms drinking, doing drugs, sleeping and watching TV. Their addict lifestyle has isolated many of them from friends and family.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Angela Shoemaker

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