By SESHADRI KUMAR, HOUSTON CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

The Houston Shifa Foundation Services Inc. is building a multipurpose center, including a free community clinic, in the premises of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston mosque at 10415 Synott Road in southwest Houston.

The 8,000-square-foot, $1.1 million facility is scheduled to be open to the public in August, said Abdul Wahid Munshi, chief executive officer of the foundation.

The city of Houston's Department of Housing and Community Development has certified the foundation as a Community Housing Development organization and has provided nearly half the funding for the clinic and the multipurpose center. The city has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Shifa foundation from a Community Block Development Grant, Donald Sampley, assistant director in the housing department said.

The Shifa clinic now operates from a trailer in the same premises. It is open from 6-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays.

Munshi said the hours of operation will be gradually increased once the new clinic is open. By the end of next year, the clinic should be open on all days of the week except Sundays, he said.

Currently, the clinic sees about 40 patients a week. After the new clinic becomes fully functional, the average number of patients visiting the clinic is expected to be around 200 a week, Munshi said.

The clinic is open to all indigent patients and low-income families irrespective of their religion, race or ethnicity, Munshi said. A majority of South Asians use the clinic, in addition to other ethnic groups, he said.

Shifa means good health in Arabic. A group of doctors formed the voluntary organization in 1997. From a shopping center on Bissonnet, the clinic obtained a trailer and moved it to its current location in 2004. About 30 doctors and other support staff volunteer at the clinic. Besides general checkups, dental services are also provided at the center, but there are no lab facilities.

Said Moein Butt, a retired doctor and secretary of the foundation, "Our primary goal is to provide free health care to those who cannot afford (it)."

The Shifa Foundation was originally a sister organization of the ISGH, but now the foundation is an independent, "stand alone" organization, Butt said. The foundation has leased the land for the multipurpose center from ISGH at a nominal price, he said.

In addition to the clinic, the center will offer educational services, services for senior citizens, free legal aid services and counseling for battered women, Butt said.

The foundation's future plans include a housing development for low-income seniors, he said. It may be located in northwest Houston, Butt said.

The Shifa center was designed by Arif Mushfiqur and the architect is Hashmet Wali. The clinic will encompass about 3,500 square feet in the 8,000-square-foot multipurpose building, he said. Mushfiqur said the building's exterior architecture is in tune with the other buildings in the premises to provide continuity and aesthetically blend with the other structures.