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AIDS ADVOCATES HAIL INTRODUCTION OF
HASA FOR ALL ACT IN NYC COUNCIL
LEGISLATION WOULD EXPAND RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO LOW-INCOME HIV-POSITIVE NEW YORKERS REGARDLESS OF AIDS DIAGNOSIS
September 7, 2007 — Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), The New York City AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN), and Housing Works welcomed the introduction of the HASA for All Act in the New York City Council. The landmark legislation, introduced yesterday by Councilmember Annabel Palma, would extend rental assistance and other needed benefits to all low-income and homeless HIV-positive New Yorkers, regardless of their AIDS diagnosis.
"GMHC joins with advocates throughout the city in supporting this critical piece of public health legislation, and we urge the City Council to hold hearings immediately so that the needs of people living with HIV are met," said Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of GMHC. "New Yorkers with HIV should not have to risk their lives in order to receive basic benefits. HASA for All would allow low-income, HIV-positive individuals the stability needed to maintain their health and to prevent them from progressing to AIDS in the first place."
"We're grateful for Councilmember Palma's leadership in fighting HIV/AIDS in our city, and we urge her colleagues to join her in recognizing the right to housing for people living with HIV," said Shirlene Cooper, Co-Director of the NYC AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN). "As a person living with AIDS, I know how cruel it is to be told you can't qualify for HASA housing assistance because you're not ‘sick enough.' One way to make sure people get sick is to force them to survive on the streets or in shelters. Our city's current policy of only offering housing to people with full-blown AIDS makes no sense."
Existing regulations from the NYC HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) require an AIDS diagnosis in order to be eligible for benefits, meaning a person living with HIV must reach a T-cell count of 200 or below, or be diagnosed with an opportunistic infection. According to HASA, there are approximately 31,000 people currently receiving benefits, or about one-third of all New Yorkers diagnosed with HIV. Another 8,000 people with HIV cannot receive needed assistance because they have not been diagnosed with AIDS and are not considered "sick enough" for HASA. Some have resorted to desperate measures—including discontinuing medication regimens—in order to drop their T-cell count and obtain an AIDS diagnosis.
Several recent studies, including a collaborative Housing and Health Study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have confirmed that housing stability promotes adherence to life-saving medications and more efficacious health care for those who are living with HIV, and actually reduces risk behavior, therefore preventing further HIV transmission. Another study, from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, reports that promoting housing as HIV care and prevention will save millions of dollars in the long run in health care costs and shelter provision. HASA for All is simply sound public health and economic policy.
"Historically, the New York City Council has not turned away from its responsibility to its poorest and sickest constituents, which is why I am confident that council members will throw their support behind HASA for ALL. This groundbreaking legislation will save the lives of New Yorkers living with HIV and prevent the young and old alike from contracting this deadly disease," said Housing Works President and CEO Charles King.
NYCAHN, Housing Works, GMHC, and other AIDS advocates will be holding press events at the Council's September meeting. We encourage members of City Council to join Councilmember Palma in supporting HIV-positive New Yorkers who deserve HASA benefits.
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The NYC AIDS HOUSING NETWORK (NYCAHN) is the nation's only membership organization comprised and led by low-income people living with HIV/AIDS, and advocates for more housing, better housing, and sound public policies.
HOUSING WORKS is dedicated to fighting the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. We are the largest grassroots AIDS organization and the largest minority-controlled AIDS organization in the U.S. We provide housing, medical care, job training, case management, HIV prevention, counseling and testing, and other services to low-income and homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.
GAY MEN'S HEALTH CRISIS (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. Our mission is to reduce the spread of HIV disease, help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence, and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and local priority. In fulfilling this mission we will remain true to our heritage by fighting homophobia and affirming the individual dignity of all gay men and lesbians. We provide services and programs to over 15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City, and outreach and education to hundreds of thousands throughout the world. For more information about GMHC programs and services, please visit www.gmhc.org.
© 2007 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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