AIDS Housing Goes Global

Housing for people with AIDS is necessary in every country

When you're at the International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Mexico City in August, don't miss the "International Summit on Poverty, Homelessness and HIV/AIDS" satellite session: This first-of-its-kind meeting will create a strategy for addressing homelessness and poverty as significant barriers to fighting the AIDS epidemic.

The two-hour summit is organized by the National AIDS Housing Coalition, Housing Works and the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, with committee members from Thailand, China, Kenya, South Africa, the U.S. and Canada. Participants will work together to develop and present to the IAC a declaration demanding adequate housing as a fundamental human right and an essential element of effective HIV prevention and health care.

"People living with HIV/AIDS globally always name housing as a priority, but it's often neglected when developing policy," said Housing Works Director of National Advocacy Christine Campbell. "You can't treat people with HIV/AIDS if they're not housed, or if they don't have water. If people don't have a place to take their medication, it's all for naught."