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Déjà Vu: At Hearing, Bloomberg Administration Moves to Destroy AIDS Agency
Looks like the Bloomberg administration will use the same tactics as last year to try to dismantle the HIV/AIDS Services Administration, the agency that acts as the critical safety net for low-income New Yorkers living with AIDS.
In a City Council welfare committee budget hearing today, Robert Doar, commissioner of the city’s Human Resources Administration, said he would try to legitimize a huge staff cut at the AIDS administration by counting non-HASA case managers in the number of case managers who support HASA clients.
“Commissioner Doar is employing the same useless argument to justify cuts to HASA’s case managers,” said Kristin Goodwin, Housing Works’ director of New York City policy and organizing. “Bottom line—no matter what theories or …
Posted on March 24, 2011 at 8:26 pm
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Thanks for Supporting Health Care Reform!
Thank you!
Housing Works would like to send a giant “THANKS” to the nearly 1,000 people who signed on to this month’s letter supporting the Affordable Care Act.
Besides those individual signatures, 190 organizations from 36 states, Washington, D.C., and two territories signed on.
The letter was sent to all members of Congress on March 23, the one-year anniversary of the bill’s passage.
As you know, the Affordable Care Act stands to benefit millions of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Its implementation promises earlier and expanded access to Medicaid coverage; affordable access to private insurance; the end to private insurer discriminatory practices; investments in innovative approaches to public health and prevention; increased resources for HIV testing; and reduced drug costs …
Posted on March 24, 2011 at 5:39 pm
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Volunteer At Housing Works Park Slope
Very soon, Housing Works will be opening our 12th Thrift Shop in Park Slope. The store will be located at 266 5th Avenue, on the corner of Garfield Place. We need a team of dedicated volunteers who want to make our newest shop their home.
We are currently accepting applications, so sign up today!
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please email volunteer@housingworks.org
> Click here to sign up
Posted on March 23, 2011 at 9:27 pm
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Op-Ed: Condoms Bring Out the Capitol Police
by Luke Versher
As a field organizer at AIDS Action in Mississippi, Versher galvanizes his community to push for AIDS policy changes that create a healthier state. He’s been living with HIV for more than 20 years.
Earlier this month, a group of HIV/AIDS activists went to the Mississippi State Capitol to discuss the need for the state to move forward in its fight to end the AIDS epidemic. The event took place one day before Human Rights Watch released a scathing report detailing the appalling conditions for people living with HIV in this state.
I was among the activists at the Capitol. During this lobby day, several organizations displayed pamphlets, flyers and other information about HIV/AIDS …
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 7:59 pm
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ADAP Watch: AIDS Drug Wait List Grows to 7,372
Last week the wait list to receive lifesaving AIDS medication through the nation’s AIDS Drug Assistance Programs grew to 7,372 people across 11 states.
The number of people waiting to receive medication through state-run AIDS drug programs has increased nearly 4,700 percent since August 2009, according to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors. Federal and state governments have reacted with little urgency, however. While President Obama’s 2012 budget allots $105 million in additional dollars to the programs over 2010, it’s clear that the problem will not be solved unless states significantly increase their own contributions to the programs.
To help readers keep tabs on the growing ADAP crisis, we are now posting the ADAP Watch—the …
Posted on March 21, 2011 at 3:27 pm
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Help Out With Gramercy Thrift’s Big Donation Day
Our Gramercy thrift shop will be receiving a large shipment of donated housewares and needs additional assistance sorting and readying these donations for sale.
The donations will be arriving at the store on Wednesday, April 6th
Our Gramercy thrift shop is located at 157 East 23rd Street, between Lexington Avenue and 3rd Avenue
If you would like to help, and are available, please email us at volunteer@housingworks.org
Posted on March 18, 2011 at 4:41 pm
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Advocates Angry Over HASA Advisory Board Delays
Budget cuts aren’t the only way the Bloomberg administration is seeking to unravel New York City’s AIDS services safety net. Turns out the mayor’s office has stalled the meeting of a legally mandated advisory board that provides policy recommendations to the HIV/AIDS Services Administration, which links 45,000 New Yorkers to critically needed public services.
The advisory board should serve as a much-needed check on HASA, guarding against harmful policies like one enacted this month. The new policy, which alters landlord reimbursement, will make it significantly harder for thousands of people living with HIV (and their families) to find affordable housing.
The advisory group never got the chance to review the policy, though, because HASA officials have repeatedly …
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 9:27 pm
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With Medicaid Decisions Near, HIV-Positive New Yorkers Make Personal Appeal
James Graham, a 51-year-old Albany resident, was diagnosed with HIV in 2003. Yesterday, for the first time, he told a legislator what was on his mind.
Yesterday was AIDS Awareness Day in Albany, an annual legislator education day in which people living with HIV visit with elected officials and explain how their lives are affected by state AIDS policy.
This year’s AIDS Awareness Day was especially critical: It took place days before the deadline for the legislature to decide on initial cuts to the state’s $53 billion-plus Medicaid program. New York’s Medicaid system serves more than half of all New Yorkers living with HIV, around 64,000 people.
Graham was especially concerned about a proposal to increase patient …
Posted on March 17, 2011 at 3:11 pm
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