We NEED Housing Assistance for HIV+ New Yorkers
Activists continue to voice their demand for housing assistance for HIV+ New Yorkers.As we reported, (adamfoxie* is been close to this issue) former New York State Governor Paterson vetoed a bill that would have provided additional rental assistance to residents who are living with HIV/AIDS. The legislation would have put a cap on rent paid by HIV+ persons based on a percentage of their income.
But now New York has a new Governor, Andrew Cuomo, who has demonstrated some empathy towards the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Activists are optimistic that this bill will finally be passed.
One activist group making noise in this battle is Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL). Until 2010, the organization was named The New York City AIDS Housing Network (NYCAHN). VOCAL has dedicated its efforts to advocating for stable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. The heart of their activism is around the very issue of the rent cap. They developed a separate website dedicated to this issue: Housing Fights AIDS.
Sean Barry, Director of VOCAL, stated to us: "Stable and affordable housing is fundamental to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and healthcare. Without stable housing, it's difficult for people to think about taking their medication, visiting the doctor, or practicing HIV prevention. Preventing homelessness for low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and their families should be a no-brainer for a Governor with a strong track record in affordable housing."
HIV management cannot exist without people having their basic needs met, especially housing.
HIV is treatable and can be a chronic and manageable disease, but only if a person has a stable home and access to resources. Without a home, how is an HIV+ individual expected to take her medications (which can be several pills, several times a day), eat healthy meals, get adequate sleep, reduce stress, and possibly get some exercise? Without a safe place for an HIV+ person to manage her disease, she is at risk of seeing a drastic decline in her health.
Housing assistance also makes financial sense. In the short term, the state will have to use funding to assist with rent, yet in the long term, HIV+ individuals and the state will both save money. VOCAL clearly states the financial benefits of this program in a recent press release: "An independent fiscal analysis by Shubert Botein Policy Associates concluded that the proposed law would pay for itself by reducing costly shelter placements and rental arrears." Legislators tend to have a myopic view when it comes to financing housing assistance. Yet by providing funding to ensure that a person maintains housing is always more cost effective than providing shelter when he can no longer afford his rent.
Bobby Tolbert, a member of VOCAL's board of directors wrote on the Huffington Post: "New York is the most unequal state in the country, with glaring poverty side by side with eye-popping wealth. It is in many of these marginalized communities that VOCAL New York organizes - people with HIV/AIDS, chronic drug users and ex-offenders living in poverty. These communities are tied to families and neighborhoods that represent millions of New Yorkers who have been ignored by the Governor's agenda so far."
Please join us in making sure Gov. Cuomo and New York legislators will not ignore this issue any longer.Sign the petition to demand housing assistance for HIV+ New Yorkers.
Photo Credit: Red Ribbon Army
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