March 2, 2007

FREE AT LAST

A client support group at the East New York Healthcare Center

For over a month, Housing Works has been badgering the New York City Council to release $1.7 million in funding for HIV prevention, testing, and care in the city's communities of color, where HIV-infection rates continue to rise. The Council wisely recognized the need to support groups specifically targeting prevention and care services to New York's non-white population and allocated the so-called Communities of Color funds last January. However, the Council had been holding up the money because of some sketchy backroom politics.

Thankfully, that's behind us and the millions have finally been released. "We're very happy that the money has at last gotten out to the community where hopefully it can do some good. I look forward to seeing the Council allocate even more funds for groups that provide lifesaving services to people of color next year," says terri smith-caronia, Housing Works' director of New York City Public Policy.

Housing Works' Health Services III, an Adult Day Healthcare Center located in East New York, was awarded Communities of Color funds to provide rapid testing, education, and outreach, as well as links to primary care, housing, and supportive services. The facility serves a predominantly African-American Brooklyn neighborhood. (Organizations that received the Communities of Color money could not have an annual operating budget greater than $6 million; some Housing Works programs, like the East New York Health Center, are independent entities with their own 501(c)(3) status. It has an annual operating budget of approximately $4.5 million).

The Communities of Color funding process started back in November 2006. The Medical Health and Research Association of NYC (MHRA)/HIV Care Services put out a one-time-only $1.7 million dollar Request for Applications (RFA), allocating $1.2 million in contracts of up to $150,000 to the highest-need targeted areas of North Central Brooklyn, the South Bronx, Central and East Harlem, Southeast Queens and Northern Staten Island. The remaining $500,000 was allocated to zip codes outside of these hardest-hit areas.

Here is a list of the other organizations that received funding to do this critical work:

If you would like to know more about Housing Works and/or information about the New York City Communities of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition, please send an email to terri smith-caronia at smith-caronia@housingworks.org . For more information about the application selection process, call the RFA phone number at MHRA: 646-619-6629

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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