Housing Working Group
The Housing Working Group works with partner organizations to raise the housing issues and needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and where appropriate, to develop or support the development of sector programming which responds to these needs.
The Service Coordination Pilot Project for Homeless PHAs was developed to expand collaborative responses being tried in the community, and was coordinated by McEwan Housing and Support Services (LOFT Community Services). It was developed to break the cycle of homeless PHAs:
becoming ill → entering hospital/Emergency Room (E.R.) → being discharged → becoming ill → entering hospital/E.R.
THN helped to facilitate initial planning meetings, contributed towards a Needs Assessment and became one of the twelve formal partners to the Project. The pilot project was successful and has developed into a program of McEwan Housing and Support Services (LOFT Community Services), with an ongoing multi-agency partnership and, in 2011, funding from the provincial AIDS Bureau. See Service Coordination Program for Homeless People Living with HIV/AIDS further below for more information.
The Housing Working Group went on to identify its next priority as housing and service issues facing people living with HIV, who are aging, and have complex care needs that may include cognitive impairment. A Community Roundtable on HIV, Housing, Aging, Complex Care & Cognitive Issues was held on June 22, 2011. For more information see the Roundtable report.
The Housing Working Group also provides representation to the annual Opening Doors Toronto planning committees to bring housing issues.
Documents
- Service Coordination Pilot Project for Homeless People Living with HIV/AIDS: Background, Objectives, Project Deliverables, And Outcomes (June 2, 2010)
- Evaluation of the Service Coordination Pilot Project for Homeless People – Living with HIV/AIDS: Final Report (March 31, 2010)
- Needs Assessment For A Centralized Service Coordination Pilot Project for Homeless PHAs Facing Health and Mental Health Crises: Final Report (August 7, 2009)