World AIDS Day: 5 Things You Should Know

by Shannon Moriarty

Published December 01, 2008 @ 02:20PM PT

When we talk about AIDS in America, it's impossible not to bring homelessness into the conversation. Not only can HIV/AIDS cause a person to become homeless, but a lack of stable housing can also increase one's risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. 

In honor of World AIDS Day, here are five key things you should know about the inextricable link between AIDS and homelessness from the National Coalition for the Homeless:

1. Of nearly 12,000 people living with HIV/AIDS surveyed by AIDS Housing of Washington, 40% report having been homeless at least once. 
2. One-third to one-half of HIV-positive Americans are either homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. In addition, individuals who are HIV positive are three times more likely to be homeless than people without the virus. 
3. Being homeless increases one's risk of contracting the virus that causes AIDS. Sexual abuse, exploitation, and injection drug use all increase one's risk of contracting HIV and are all more common among homeless people, particularly women and teenagers.
4. In general, people who are homeless have higher rates of chronic diseases than people who are housed, due in part to the effects of lifestyle factors (such as drug, alcohol, or tobacco use), exposure to extreme weather, nutritional deficiencies, and being victimized by violence.
5. The foreclosure crisis is forcing many people with HIV/AIDS out of their homes, according to an article by gaywired.com. This can be disastrous for those who may lose their eligibility for city- or county-based health care programs when they move away to find affordable housing. Essentially, this is forcing people with HIV/AIDS to choose between housing and health care. 

Individuals with HIV/AIDS face many of the same obstacles as low-income people, such as a lack of affordable housing and rising costs of health care. Sadly, these obstacles are even more insurmountable when a person is ill and relying on housing and medical care for survival. Many do not have time to wait for a Section 8 voucher, even though stable housing would likely increase their life expectancy. Indeed, as the NCH points out, the odds are stacked against people affected by HIV/AIDS:

People with HIV/AIDS may lose their jobs because of discrimination or because of the fatigue and periodic hospitalization caused by HIV-related illness. They may also find their incomes drained by the costs of health care.

Tragically, individuals with HIV/AIDS may die before they are able to receive housing assistance. Efforts to build HIV/AIDS housing often encounter chronic funding shortfalls, bureaucratic indifference, and the stigma and fear of AIDS. Projects to create HIV/AIDS housing may fail because of local opposition by neighborhood or community groups.

On this World AIDS Day, please remember those affected by HIV/AIDS who are not housed.