By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

Officials from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago met with community activists and public officials Sept. 11 in a town hall forum to discuss the impending reduction in housing benefits for Chicagoans with HIV/AIDS.

Unless the city adds about $1.5 million to its budget for housing resources for persons with HIV/AIDS, over 200 people will be without shelter at the beginning of 2008, according to AFC.

More than 50 people came together at the AFC meeting at the Chicago Bar Association, 321 S. Plymouth, to discuss the community’s options to press the city for the additional money.

Among those in attendance were state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and Chicago Department of Public Health Asst. Comm. Chris Brown.

Participants discussed a number of concerns facing persons with HIV/AIDS and brainstormed on potential solutions that might alleviate financial stressors and burdens placed upon them. Among the issues raised were effective communication between AIDS organizations in the city and the sporadic and sudden timing of funding cuts.

Many attendees said the housing situation for some Chicagoans is getting dire and is requiring those who are HIV-positive and in tough financial straights to make some hard choices.

“Last month I was on medical leave—unpaid medical leave,” one woman said. “This month when I needed to get medication and pay my co-pay at the pharmacy and pay rent, guess which one won?”

“I had to pay my rent because I needed a place to live,” she said.

John Peller, director of political action for AFC, said that between 10,000 to 15,000 people with HIV in Chicago—half of those in the city who are HIV-positive—need housing assistance.

He added, “The bad news is there’s about 1,460 units of AIDS housing available in the metro Chicago area, including the suburbs.”

“We have really good data that shows that people living with HIV and other chronic diseases, once they are housed, go to the hospital less. They use emergency rooms less,” Peller said. “It’s much more cost-effective to house somebody than to have them homeless on the street and ending up in jail, emergency rooms, hospitals and nursing homes.”

Activist Melanie Paul spoke at the meeting about being homeless and HIV-positive. Her life turned around once she was able to access sustainable housing options.

“I was living on the Red Line. I rode the El all day long,” Paul said after the meeting. “I was in and out of County Jail. That was my other home.”

After getting out of drug treatment in 1998, Paul found her way to Vision House, a facility providing permanent housing for individuals infected with HIV/AIDS and their families.

“I was finally able to reconnect with my children. I used (Vision House’s resources) to get what I needed. At that point, I hadn’t even addressed the HIV yet, and I finally could,” Paul said. Paul is now working fulltime, married and just bought a house.

During the meeting, she said, “I have not been sick with (AIDS-related illness) a day in my life.”

Jim Pickett, policy director of AFC, said after the meeting that it’s time for government officials to step up and address the housing issue in such a way that housing funding remains in place year after year.

“We’re always struggling with this. Let’s get longer-term options, so we’re not thrown into this cycle of screwing around every time funding questions come up,” Pickett said.

He said that he was encouraged by the response he’s gotten for AFC’s current initiative, adding, “We’ve got some new voices here. This is really helping people see the connections.”

Debra Fleming, a board member of National AIDS Housing Coalition, added that the community needs to be very clear in articulating its needs to elected officials.

“They just don’t get it, because they have housing,” said Fleming.