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WHY HIV AND THE HOMELESS
"There
is no more precious gift that you can give to another than a reason
to hope" Think
about what it is really like to be homeless; what real poverty is like,
it is a living nightmare that doesn't discriminate. It can happen to
any of us-for any and all number of reasons. It can happen to anyone,
anywhere, and all so quickly. Think about what it feels like, and how
it destroys so many lives and so many spirits. It is no longer something
that happens to someone else-It can happen to your family, your friends,
your neighbors. It can happen in an instant, in so many ways "I
was ready to end my life, I was so broken... I need a safe place for
my family to stop, and start over. I was so scared, that I kept on walking,
until I realized I had nowhere to go, no house, no job, nothing". The
First--and most important--thing you can do to help the homeless is
to realize that the tired old stereotypes concerning them just are not
true. You'll discover that the homeless are more than the stereotypical
drifter, drunk, or bum. A homeless person may be someone with a job,
a runaway kid, a member of your family, or you yourself. "The
average age of a homeless person in the United States Is 9 years old" Many
people with HIV/AIDS have lost their homes because of discrimination,
illness and hospitalizations caused by HIV-related illnesses. Most will
also find their health insurance, and incomes drained by the increasing
costs of medications and health care. Millions are among the hidden
homeless--people who are one crisis away from losing their homes. Some
are 48 hours away from eviction or about to leave a hospital with nowhere
to go. "I
was put out of the hospital, I lost my insurance, I lost my job, I lost
my house, and I lost my pride." The Homeless HIV/AIDS community has not humanly moved forward. Seemingly, it has kept going backward in terms of real human living conditions, only the scenery changes. This view hasn't changed in over 20 years. . "Homelessness and AIDS, has made us ashamed of our bodies, our thoughts, our feelings. AIDS robbed us of certain unalienable rights. AIDS is sitting here with us- in the streets, it haunts every ones thoughts. AIDS most destructive work was done deep inside our very souls, in those dark unexplored areas. Deep down we came to believe that we were dirty, and worse everyone else was clean and wholesome." Tragically,
many individuals with HIV/AIDS die before they are able to receive housing
assistance. Efforts to ensure HIV/AIDS emergency housing assistance
often encounter chronic funding shortfalls, and bureaucratic indifference.
'The
message that the government is giving society is: If you're homeless,
you're worthless' All people infected with HIV/AIDS need safe, affordable housing and supportive, appropriate health care. Emergency housing funds should be available for persons with HIV-related illnesses who are in danger of losing their homes, and housing assistance should be available for those already on the streets. "Time stands still when you're living under the bridge. As long as I can find a safe place to sleep and my medications stay kinda dry, I guess, I'll be OK,"
Each one of the quotes above came from an
What can you do?
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