HOUSING
WORKS PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release: Monday, November 15, 2004
HOUSING WORKS, AMERICA’S LARGEST AND MOST MILITANT AIDS GROUP, OPENS
DC OFFICE FOR FEDERAL ADVOCACY AND NATIONWIDE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING
Housing Works, the nation’s largest community-based AIDS organization and
one with a long history of militant advocacy for the interests of people living
with and at risk for HIV/AIDS, is opening its first-ever Washington DC office
with a ribbon-cutting celebration on November 17 at 5PM.
“Our DC office will be the nerve center for uncompromising every-week advocacy
by people living with HIV/AIDS,” said Charles King, President and CEO of
Housing Works. “Now more than ever, we must build a nationwide mass movement
to keep the pressure on our elected officials to deal with the deadly reality
of AIDS -- and it’s everyday people living with AIDS and HIV that are best
able to carry the message.”
Housing Works has been involved in federal-level AIDS advocacy since the beginning
of the epidemic; the group’s leaders, including recently-deceased co-President
Keith Cylar, were involved in the creation of key AIDS programs at HHS and HUD,
and its staff, clients and volunteers lobbied and demonstrated over the past decade
for increased domestic and global AIDS funding, against harsh welfare reform measures,
for the protection and improvement of Medicaid and Medicare benefits, and for
innovative programs for homeless people living with HIV, mental illness &
chemical dependency, as well as for transgender people.
Robert Cordero, Director of Federal Advocacy for Housing Works, is a leader of
the CAEAR Coalition and a former top AIDS advisor to New York City’s Republican
Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“We’re strong, loud – and non-partisan,” said Cordero.
“Because Housing Works is dealing with the front-line reality of AIDS as
a large service provider, we can help government officials from both parties understand
what’s effective in the fight against AIDS in America. And we’re straight
shooters: when Republicans or Democrats deserve credit, we give them credit –
and when they deserve criticism, we give them that, too.”
Housing Works played a leading role in last May’s “Wake Up!”
AIDS demonstration, which brought 1000 activists to Capitol Hill for the largest
AIDS direct action in a decade. Many of the group’s clients and staff were
among the 100 people arrested on May 20 for civil disobedience. The group also
led last month’s protest at the Bush-Cheney headquarters in Arlington, VA,
after Vice-President Cheney admitted in a debate that he was “unaware”
of the deadly epidemic of AIDS among African-American women.
“We think direct action and civil disobedience are necessary tools for advocacy,”
said King. “We’ll provide information, we’ll provide expert
testimony, we’ll lobby and negotiate – but we’ll also take over
an office or organize a mass rally if that’s what necessary to get results
and save lives.”
Housing Works will bring its own clients and PLWHAs from around the country to
Capitol Hill for every-week lobby visits starting in January, said Cordero. “We
hope that Housing Works will turbocharge AIDS advocacy in Washington, and this
office is going to be the turbocharger.”
The new Housing Works office is located at 925 15th Street, NW, 2nd floor, Washington,
DC 20005. For further information, visit www.housingworks.org.