AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Center for Housing and Health calls on city to fund the Flexible Housing Pool:⁠ ⁠ Yesterday’s budget address from the Johnson administration laid out a path forward for Chicago in 2025 during a difficult budget year. While we applaud the increased investments toward creating a unified shelter system through the One System Initiative and other homelessness investments, we are deeply concerned about inadequate funding for the Flexible Housing Pool (FHP) – a program CHH administers to serve people experiencing homelessness who interact with public crisis systems. Inadequate funding could result in stably housed Chicagoans losing their housing and returning to homelessness. ⁠ ⁠ Shelter is critical, but shelter is not housing. Housing means a stable home, and it is a human right; a shelter is a temporary place to stay. We must not confuse one with the other, and we must adequately fund the Flexible Housing Pool in order to show our commitment to housing for all Chicagoans.⁠ ⁠ Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/gNMQ38gf

Check out this blog post co-written by Nadeen Israel, AFC's Senior Vice President of Policy & Advocacy:

The Ryan White Community Advisory Board (CAB) meets at AFC offices every other month, as it has since 2010. Founded so consumers could give ongoing feedback on programs and services for Chicagoans funded through the federal Ryan White program, members are people from diverse backgrounds living with HIV and giving back to the community through their service and advocacy. Several members have gone on to work in the HIV field since joining, and all have formed close bonds. Read more about the upcoming open house including how to register here: https://lnkd.in/g7tRaY6a #RyanWhite #hivaids #lgbtq #healthequity

Extreme Members of Congress are utilizing the annual federal funding process to attack the communities most impacted by HIV, and to dismantle HIV programs. AFC thanks Rep. Chuy Garcia for his steadfast commitment to the rights of people impacted by HIV, LGBTQ+ communities, and to protect vital HIV funding. AFC recently joined him for an emergency Roundtable on LGBTQ+ Issues, and we are proud to support his efforts in Congress in defense of our communities and programs.

Earlier this month, Pride Action Tank (PAT) hosted “De-siloing Aging, HIV and LGBTQ+ Services: A Summit on New Possibilities” at Columbia College Chicago. The summit featured leaders and community members across various sectors and centered older adults living with HIV.     Kim L. Hunt, MUPP, MPP, director of PAT, explained objectives of the summit as two-fold: “[to] recognize the lives and sacrifices of long-term survivors, generations of LGBTQ+ people who lived without the protections we currently have today in the state of Illinois [and] to increase the capacity of the service sector to better serve and recognize both the needs and the gifts of older adults who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or are living with HIV and their caregivers.”      Learn more about this summit from Windy City Time’s article written by Carrie Maxwell here: https://lnkd.in/g2zVhQjC

Separate systems are never equal. Mayor Johnson's announcement of a new unified shelter system for migrants and people experiencing homelessness is an important step towards greater equity in shelter access. When people share the same needs, like food, housing, and shelter, there should be an integrated and unified response. We appreciate the robust community process that led to the One System Initiative. We hope that the City will ensure everyone has a shelter bed who needs one so no one is sleeping outside during Chicago winter — new arrivals and lifelong Chicagoans alike. We encourage the Johnson administration and Chicago City Council to continue prioritizing homelessness, both housing and shelter, in this very difficult budget year for the City.

Tell your IL senator to support HB5417 - to help us end the HIV epidemic in Illinois: https://p2a.co/hewyjqg This bill will: - make home test kits available - expand access to testing for disproportionality affected communities - open eight rapid start treatment centers state-wide - connect people to HIV care with seven days of diagnosis -promote HIV testing and education in correctional facilities Take action today!

October 15 marks the end of Hispanic Heritage Month and National Latinx HIV and AIDS Awareness Day. We talked with Rosa E. Martínez Colón, MS, AFC and CHH’s Vice President of Housing Strategy, about her recent visit to the White House to attend the ¡Adelante! Summit.    “It's time for us to come back again,” said Rosa. “Not that we have ever stopped, but we must roll up our sleeves again and go back to basics. Go back to those essential interventions that were so successful years ago, and we must tailor models and interventions to the different communities instead of using a “one-size fits all” model.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBMSK5XK #HispanicHeritageMonth #NLAAD

🎊This September marked 10 years since John Peller became President & CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago. 🎊 John's leadership at AFC has been characterized by fierce advocacy, sustainable growth, a commitment to racial and social justice, and lifting the voices of people with lived experience of HIV, chronic illness, and homelessness. His approach is grounded in community-building through partnerships and engagement with diverse stakeholders and perspectives. Congratulations John, we are grateful for your leadership! Read more about his legacy with AFC: https://lnkd.in/gzXgyCXx

Together we can end the HIV epidemic! Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) is AFC's partnership to end the HIV epidemic in Illinois by 2030, and we have all the tools we need to reach our goal. We are Getting to Zero – meaning zero new HIV diagnoses in Illinois and zero Illinoisans not connected to care – and we can do it, with your help. While the number zero represents a data point and numeric goal, the letter Z represents the voice of the people who helped us get there. When we say, “It Ends with Z,” we are honoring not just public health progress, but also the stories of people whose lived experiences give us the why and how of our fight. When you support AFC’s GTZ-IL initiative, you also support systems-level changes to create a more just and inclusive state for people living with chronic health conditions. Will you make a gift today to continue supporting our life-saving work? https://lnkd.in/gZk_s8zS