Agency Highlights
GMHC sustains and enhances the quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS
The struggle to sustain and enhance the lives of people living with HIV is complex and
filled with obstacles. Advances in therapies have made it possible to live longer, but
not necessarily with greater ease. Thousands of people struggle daily to adhere to medical
protocols and gain access to medical care while fighting the paralyzing stigma attached
to HIV. This struggle is often compounded by socio-economic factors such as discrimination
based on race, nationality, immigration status, gender, sexuality, and poverty. GMHC
continued to confront the totality of emerging demands of the AIDS epidemic by working
to ensure that every man, woman, and child has the highest level of access to life-saving
treatments and the support needed to make those treatments
successful.
One common denominator among our vastly diverse client population is their poverty —
last year, 77% of GMHC clients received an income of less than $10,000 a year.
Struggling to raise a family, keep a home, or find employment, substantially decreases
the ability to sustain one's health. GMHC's financial advocacy services continued to
help clients stabilize their lives by assisting them in securing and retaining housing
through rental support, eviction interruption, financial management and utilization of
the Sustainable Living Fund (which helps to prevent homelessness among impoverished
immigrants). We also worked with clients to maintain and increase their access to
health care and health insurance, and assisted them in navigating the complicated
maze of income support, benefits, and entitlements. This past year, GMHC expanded
these services through its coordination of the Sustainable Living Fund for the City
of New York.
GMHC's successful Meals Program continued to operate above capacity, and provided
clients and families with nutritious meals and social support. The socializing benefits
of the Meals Program add to the existing resources available through our Life Steps
programs including scholarships, books from the client-run lending library, and free
theatre tickets from the Jerry Herman Theatre Desk. To help families face the difficult
challenges of living with AIDS, GMHC provided individual and group support to family
members coping with the sensitive issue of HIV disclosure. In addition, our Child Life
Program helped families by providing child-sitting services, nutrition counseling, and
nourishment through our Elizabeth Ross Johnson food pantry.
GMHC recently refurbished the popular Rachel Berger Treatment Library — which
experienced a marked 300% increase in usage last year. The Treatment Library offers
computer and print resources that detail the most advanced protocols in HIV treatment.
The Library also provides training to clients on how to successfully access information
on the Internet. In conjunction with the Library, GMHC increased access to treatment
adherence resources, women-centered treatment options, and created new wellness
publications, such as "Ten Ways to Take Care of Yourself When You Have HIV Disease."
The training and work component of the Terry K. Watanabe Volunteer and Work Center
was launched this year to provide education, vocational training, computer-skill
application, college scholarships, and on- and off-site internships for clients who
are physically and emotionally ready to transition to work or enter the work force
for the first time.
Our clients face many legal obstacles which have increased in number and complexity
after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Last year, our specially trained legal and
client advocacy teams helped more than 3,000 people resolve their legal issues with legal
counsel and/or representation in the fields of landlord/tenant, family and domestic unity
law, immigrant legal rights, permanency planning and employment discrimination. In
addition, clients were provided with assistance in the areas of Supplemental Security
Income and Social Security Disability Insurance, estate planning, bankruptcy, and private
disability insurance.
Through the coordinated efforts of our programs, GMHC continued its concerted effort to
meet the increasingly complex needs of HIV-positive men, women, and children. Our
wellness philosophy and approach emphasizes life affirmation and self sufficiency, and
continues to shape and influence the services we offer, resulting in increased autonomy,
self-reliance, and stability in the lives of the people we serve.
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