Women and Housing in the District of Columbia

The DC Women’s Agenda and The District Alliance for Safe Housing are sponsoring a question and answer forum: “Voices and Choices for Housing for Females.” The forum will take place on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM at The True Reformer Building located at 1200 U Street NW Washington, DC. Sczerina Perot, Staff Attorney of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, will moderate the panel of individuals who advocate with and for women facing diverse housing challenges.

Ms. Perot will present questions to Peg Hacskaylo, Executive Director, District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc.; Susan Galbraith, Executive Director, Our Place DC; Kathy Broadway, Addictions Counselor, Ramona’s Way; Francine Triplett, Homeless Advocate, Street Sense; Linda Couch, Deputy Director, National Low Income Housing Coalition; and a representative from Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League.

Participants will learn the housing challenges and solutions facing a diverse group of women including: senior citizens, women struggling with homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, GLBTQ women and girls, former inmates, and women who suffer from substance abuse. The topics discussed will range from pending legislation and efforts for passage, successes and failures in working with the DC City Council and Government, and the best practices employed by the various advocacy organizations.

“We need to all work together to solve the housing issues women face through their lives. This forum will be the first step toward that goal,” according to Sczerina Perot, the moderator of the forum. “Problems of homelessness and affordable housing are rarely seen through a gender lens; this will be an opportunity for us to analyze the problem from this perspective."

November 17th: Home Ownership Workshop for People Living with HIV

Are you HIV positive and residing in the District of Columbia? Do you know that you may be eligible for up to $77,000 in downpayment and closing cost assistance if you are a a first-time homebuyer in DC? Do you know the advantages and disadvantages of homeownership? Do you want to learn more about the homebuying process?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you may be eligible to participate in the home prep program and learn how you can become a homeowner.

Housing Counseling Services, Inc. Home Puchase Readiness Empowerment Program (PREP) is sponsoring a workshop on Saturday November 17th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Housing Counseling Services Training Center located at 2410 17th Street NW Suite 100.

Please call Jill Carmichael or Minerva Lazo from Housing Counseling Services, Inc at (202) 667-2681 for more information and to register. All classes are free but seating is limited.

DC Fights Back Resource Day: By the Numbers

Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, yesterday's DC Fights Back Resource Day was an astounding success. Here are some of the (great) numbers that tell the story:

We had 21 organizations that co-sponsored the event, and 14 organizations that had tables with information about HIV/AIDS Services in DC. We had 8 people get an HIV test at the resource day. We got 5 new people registered to vote in the District of Columbia. I don't know exactly how many people were at the event, but 65 people signed-in at the registration desk and 20 folks who are not on the DC Fights Back E-mail List asked to be added.

Our 5 panelists discussed services available in the District of Columbia. And we had so many questions we didn't even get to them all. We are planning to print out the questions, find answers, and post them on our website.

All in all it was an amazing event, and I was thrilled that Dr. Hader had a chance to meet with and hear from so many community members in her first week.

Click here to see pictures of the resource day.

Of course, the work continues. Here are some ways you can stay involved.

• Join us for the Speakout and Neighborhood March on November 3rd – March starts at noon at intersection of Martin Luther King Ave, SE and South Capitol St. – Speak Out at 2pm at the Washington Highlands Library, 115 Atlantic St. SW. For details, grab a flyer here or call 202 645-5880.
• Join DC Fights Back. To sign up for the Yahoo Group, click here.
• Register to Vote while you’re here and pay attention to the City Council, School Board, and other local races. click here to register to vote or click here to check your voter registration status.
  
• Keep informed on HIV in DC. Visit www.fighthivindc.org for daily updates.
• Tell your story about HIV/AIDS in the District of Columbia. Send your pictures, blog posts, or youtube videos to tellyourstory@fighthivindc.org
• Consider Joining the Community Planning Group, Ryan White Planning Council, or another advisory board.

In short, keep at it! Thanks to Cherie Lindsay, George Kerr, The Westminster Presbyterian Church, and everyone who helped make this resource day possible.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day a Success

The District of Columbia had two great events for National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. In the morning, a coalition of groups spearheaded by La Clinica Del Pueblo, organized a community forum on HIV/AIDS in the Latino Community in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. In addition to hearing some compelling stories from people living with HIV, representatives were on hand from the Departments of Health in Maryland, Virginia, and DC. Dr. Gregg Pane and Dr. Shannon Hader represented the DC Department of Health.

Then in the afternoon, we had a spanish-language presentation on HIV Vaccine Research. Jeff Stanton (pictured left), from the Academy for Educational Development, discussed community involvement in HIV Vaccine Research. Pedro Goicochea, from IMPACTA Peru, discussed HIV Vaccine Research in Peru; and Dr. Barney Graham, from the Vaccine Research Center, discussed HIV Vaccine Research here in DC.

To learn more about National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, visit www.nlaad.org. You can also see a collection of press releases and media coverage on NLAAD right here. One that I didn't notice on this list, check out Hillary Clinton's Statement on National Latino AIDS Awareness Day.

Thanks to everyone who made National Latino AIDS Awareness Day a success in DC. To see pictures from our DC National Latino AIDS Awareness day events, click here

DC Fights Back Resource Day Today

Today, Tuesday, October 16th, is the DC Fights Back Resrouce Day.

We will be down at Westminster Presbyterian Church from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Come join us and learn about a wide variety of services for people living with HIV in DC. Organizations participating include: AIDSinfo, Community Education Group, Covenant Baptist Church Conversation Center, Damien Ministries, DC Fights Back, Food and Friends, Housing Works, Lincoln Financial Group, Metro Teen AIDS, NOVAM-Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, Our Place DC, Patients not Patents, Inc., Regional Addiction Prevention (RAP Inc), Vaccine Research Center NIAID NIH, and the Women’s Collective.

Dr. Shannon Hader to Provide Opening Remarks

Starting at 11:00 AM we will have a panel discussion on HIV/AIDS services in the District and the new Director of the HIV/AIDS Administration, Dr. Shannon Hader, will be providing opening remarks.

The resource day will take place at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 401 I Street NW from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The Westminster Presbyterian Church is convenient to the Waterfront/SEU metro stop.

It's not too late to get involved: Stop by today!

click here to download the flyer for the event

Today is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

October 15th is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, a day to talk about HIV/AIDS in the Latino Community.

Latinos in the United States continue to be affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, accounting for a greater proportion of AIDS cases than their representation in the U.S. population overall, and the second highest AIDS case rate in the nation by race/ethnicity. Studies have shown that Latinos with HIV/AIDS may face additional barriers to accessing care than their white counterparts (read the fact sheet here).

To learn more, visit the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day website at www.nlaad.org.

Here in Washington DC, folks are gathering this morning at All Souls Church for a forum on HIV/AIDS in the Latino Community. This afternoon I hope you'll join us for a spanish language presentation on HIV vaccine research.

HIV/AIDS Administration Seeks Input on New Directory

MetroWeekly reports that the Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) is currently preparing an updated version of its free ''Directory of HIV/AIDS Services in the District of Columbia,'' first released in May of this year, to include more agencies that provide HIV/AIDS-related services. read more here

Next CAVE Meeting November 6th, 2007

Please join us for the next meeting of the Capital Area Vaccine Effort (CAVE).

Lots of great things are happening with CAVE. We just participated in an HIV Vaccine Event with The Center (see article here) and we also participated in the AIDS Walk (see photos here). An on Monday, we'll be doing our first ever Spanish language vaccine event for National Latino AIDS Awareness Day.

Our next meeting is October 9th at the offices of Us Helping Us at 6:30 PM. Us Helping Us is located at 3636 Georgia Avenue NW, very close to the Georgia Ave Petworth Station Metro Stop. Please join us! If you'd like to check out the minutes from our October meeting, click here.

More Welcomes for Dr. Shannon Hader

It's been over two months since we first told you Dr. Shannon Hader was chosen to be the new Director of the HIV/AIDS Administration. The welcome messages for Dr. Hader have kept rolling in.

Father Rusty Smith from Nothern Virginia AIDS Ministries writes: "Welcome and I look forward to your leadership and partnership... in confronting this health crisis!"

Khadijah A. Tribble from Pediatric AIDS Care writes: "We are delighted to have your leadership and vision to help us 'change the dialog' in this fight against HIV/AIDS."

Don't forget that you have a chance to meet Dr. Hader next tuesday at the DC Fights Back Resource Day.

I'm thrilled that Dr. Hader will have an opportunity during her first week on board to be part of the resource day, and I hope you'll join us.

An HIV/AIDS Research Agenda for Black Gay Men

The statistics on HIV and black gay men are sobering. A 2005 CDC study, conducted in 5 large US cities, found that HIV prevalence among black MSM (46%) was more than twice that among white MSM (21%). (citation). It's hard to imagine that in these cities almost half of all black gay men are living with HIV.

When it comes to HIV prevention, what works for white gay men does not necessarily work for black gay men. There's still a lot we need to understand about what is fueling these high HIV rates and what we should be doing about it.

Fortunately, the National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition (NBGMAC), which formed shortly after this data was released, has been working hard to improve the health and well-being of black gay men through advocacy that is focused on research, policy, education and training. NBGMAC is housed in Washington, DC at the offices of Us Helping Us.

NBGMAC will continue to their work at the October 24th meeting of the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OAR). The OAR meeting will focus on challenges of HIV infection in racial and ethnic communities in the United States.

Dr. Leo Wilton will present a summary of the Black Gay Research Agenda for the NBGMAC and the Black Gay Research Group. The meeting will be held at 5635 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852 in the Terrace Level Conference Center.

It's an important step forward in advocating for the HIV research needs of black gay men, and you can be there. The meeting is open to the public. Time will be allowed for public comment at the end of the meeting. If you can attend and would like to attend, please contact Christina Brackna at (301) 402-8655 for additional information .

Standing up for Transgender Individuals in HIV/AIDS Research

Here's a quick update on what's happening around the Open Letter on Sex and Gender.

But first, a recap for those who are new. I know this is confusing, but please stick with me. Several DC HIV/AIDS research community advisory boards have expressed concern over how information on sex and gender is collected in HIV/AIDS research, and how transgender folks are treated in HIV/AIDS research. This is one of those issues that can't be addressed at the local level. Local research sites told us this is something that we needed to address with the NIH NIAID Division of AIDS.

In March 2007, DC CABS (Howard University IMPAACT, VA Hospital INSIGHT, Capital Area Vaccine Effort VRC, Georgetown University ACTG) wrote a letter to which is the community advisory board for the Division of AIDS. Community Partners is made up of CAB members from all around the world representing all six DAIDS research networks, (ACTG, HVTN, IMPAACT, HPTN, INSIGHT, and MTN)

Also, in June 2007, we scheduled an ACTION lunch with Karin Klingman from the Division of AIDS to discuss this issue.

So here's the update

The Community Partners discussed the issue on one of their monthly conference calls. They decided to form an ad-hoc committee to explore this issue further. As fate would have it, many of the members of the ad-hoc committee in DC are in town for the ACTG and IMPAACT group meetings this weekend.

The Community Partners adhoc work group has scheduled a meeting with us to discuss this issue. All interested DC HIV/AIDS Research Community Advisory Board Members are welcome to join us. The meeting will be Friday, October 12th at 8:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. If you are interested in coming please e-mail me and I will send you the exact location when I have it. I'm hopefull that this meeting will move us yet one step closer to the ultimate goal.

Thanks to everyone who has worked on this. Trust me - I've been working on this issue since November 2002 when the Forum for Collaborative HIV/AIDS Research held their summit on Sex and Gender. Don't worry though, we'll stay at it till the job is done.

Local College Students Say HIV/AIDS is Not Part of New Student Orientation

From Kaiser Daily NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday" recently reported on efforts to educate U.S. college students about HIV/AIDS. According to NPR, most colleges "operate on the principle that students already know about HIV."

Some students at Howard University and George Washington University in Washington, D.C, said that HIV/AIDS education is not incorporated into orientation and that they were unaware that one in every 20 people in the district is living with HIV/AIDS. At a recent speech to students at Howard, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said that the rate of HIV in the district is higher than that in many African countries. Piot also discussed his visit several years ago with HIV-positive women in the city.

The "stories that the women were telling me there, frankly, I had never heard before," Piot said, adding, "I was so shocked that this is going on in this town."

Isabel Goldenberg, director of student health at George Washington, said the college offers workshops on sexually transmitted infections, distributes condoms and works with fraternities and sororities on HIV/AIDS education. Howard and George Washington also recruit students to serve as health educators.

In addition, CDC has designated funding for HIV/AIDS prevention at some historically black colleges, and the Black AIDS Institute recently sent 25 black college students to the district to train as HIV/AIDS advocates (Wilson, "Weekend Edition Sunday," NPR, 10/7).

Audio of the segment is available online.

HAA Announces New Funds: Advocates Issue Guidance

Back in September the CDC announced that DC would be one of several jurisdictions to receive new funding to support HIV testing primarily in African American populations.

The Department of Health released their own press release last week sharing that the grant from the CDC is for a whopping $1,461,874. The funds should significantly beef up the Districts struggling HIV testing program, provided they are used wisely and responsibly.

“As the city with the highest HIV and AIDS rates in the country and the first to start routine HIV screening, the District of Columbia is proud to lead this initiative to fight HIV in our African American community,” said Dr. Pane.

But some advocates are questioning whether a routine testing strategy really is more effective than an HIV testing strategy that targets communities most at risk. Research by Dr. David Holtgrave, from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, indicate that targeted HIV testing may be the better way to go. Of course, the answer to that question is in part connected to what our local epidemic looks like. And since we are still waiting for surveillance data, it's hard to say.

Meanwhile, a number of HIV/AIDS advocacy groups have teamed up to issue recommendations on how these new testing campaigns should be conducted. Lambda Legal, AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Center for HIV Law and Policy are sending a set of 15 HIV testing principles to help guide the 23 state and local public health departments, announced last week, that will receive funding by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conduct increased HIV testing campaigns.

The principles, which to date have been endorsed by over 70 health, service and advocacy organizations and physicians, are set forth in a document entitled “Expanding the Availability and Acceptance of Voluntary HIV Testing: Fundamental Principles to Guide Implementation.”

“As local public health agencies use new grant monies, it is vitally important that certain principles guide those efforts, to ensure that HIV testing is always informed, voluntary, confidential, and supported by health care,” said Bebe Anderson, HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal and one of the primary authors of the Fundamental Principles. “Otherwise, the worthy goals of increasing early diagnosis and care for those who are living with HIV will suffer.”

The complete document is available on the Lambda legal website. The 15 guiding principles include:

• People living with undiagnosed HIV infection must be reached and offered testing.
• Any HIV testing program must provide the highest standard of care.
• Everyone offered testing must be educated about HIV and the significance of positive and negative test results.
• People who test positive for HIV antibodies must be linked to care.
• Patients' human rights and informed consent are consistent with, and not opposed to, the goal of expanded HIV testing.
  Expanded HIV testing must be tailored to different clinical settings, populations, and patient needs.
• Clinicians, medical directors and other providers must receive training and education in making appropriate service referrals and linkages to care.
  Special attention must be paid to the prevention and care needs of at-risk populations.

Get Involved!

Your organization can sign on to the document. Visit www.hivtestingprinciples.org to find out more.

DC Fights Back Calls for a Day Devoted to Connecting People Living with HIV with Services They Need

DC Fights Back, a local network of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) and their allies, will devote October 16 from 10am to 2pm, at the Westminster Presbyterian Church on 400 I St. (4th at I) SW, as a Resource Day. This day will have the goal of connecting HIV positive individuals with greatly needed service providers, resources, and to calling for greater community support for People Living With HIV (PLWA).

In announcing the Resource Day, George Kerr, Co-Chair of DC Fights Back, asked “With so many resources in our nation’s capital, the epicenter of our country’s HIV epidemic, why do so many programs still not reach the District’s citizens who need them most?” DC Fights Back has pulled together over 25 relevant service providers to enable PLWAs to learn about community resources and prevention and treatment information. Organizations from around the District will share information on what they do and how people can access greatly needed services.

Rev. Ruth Hamilton, Co-Pastor of Westminster, says: “We want to connect hurting people with real help. Having founded the AIDS ministry, Food & Friends, in the early 80’s, our congregation has always been personally and profoundly affected by the epidemic. We know this will be a loving, life-giving day and we are glad to be able to offer our church building.”

Larry Bryant state that, “This Resource Day will provide an opportunity for city residents to meet community based organizations face to face, all at the same time. It will hopefully spark a dialogue between service providers and customer and clients that will lead to more effective deliveries of that service.”

Dr. Shannon Hader, the new Director of the Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration, will personally open the Resource Day. Booths and speakers will represent an array of service providers – including medical treatment, housing, case management, mental health, substance abuse, dental assistance, nutrition, and treatment adherence.

DC Fights Back is a network of people living with HIV/AIDS and their allies. We work to engage ourselves and our communities in every aspect of HIV advocacy to ensure the best possible treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS and the best possible science-based HIV prevention.

2007 AIDS Walk Washington: Tell Your Story

Share your story from AIDS Walk 2007. Here's how:

Flickr If you have a flicr account, it's easy to add your AIDS Walk Washington photos to our AIDS Walk Washington Flickr Group. It's free and easy to set up a flickr account, but if you prefer you can just e-mail me your flickr pics and I'll post them to the group for you.

YouTube You can also send me your videos, and I'll add them to our Fight HIV in DC You Tube Page

BloggerIf you'd like, you could also send me a blog post about AIDS Walk DC and I'll post it on the site

Two Local Articles on HIV Vaccine Research

There are two great local articles about HIV vaccine research, be sure to check them out. First, Metro Weekly has an article about Monday Night's presentation on HIV Vaccine Research organized by The Center. If you missed the event, it was a great night of fun and discussion at one my favorite local hangouts, the Ramrod.

One of the hot topics of the night was the recent closure of a Merck vaccine study, known as the Step Study. While the failure of this study is disappointing, it is important to remember was just one of many approaches to HIV Vaccine Research currently being researched.

Which brings me to the Washington Blade Article on the Step Study. The article quotes one of many researchers involved in the study, Dr. Mark Mulligan from Atlanta's Hope Center:

“While disappointment was my main reaction, the next step is, OK, this is science and we’ve gotten a clear and strong answer what direction not to take,” Mulligan added. “We knew it might work, that it might not work. And we learn from that experience, so in that sense, it has been successful. Now we can throw our energy and efforts into other candidate vaccines.”

Let's Talk About Fuzeon

Fuzeon, also called Enfuvirtide or T-20, is a drug used for antiviral therapy. It's the first "fusion inhibitor" drug. When HIV infects a cell, it attaches to the outside of the cell. Then it "fuses" or joins itself with the cell. Enfuvirtide stops this process of fusion.

For folks who don't have as many options as far as anti-retrovirals go, having Fuzeon around as an option is definitely a good thing. But it's not the easiest drug to take. For starters, it has to be injected twice daily.

If you or someone you know is on Fuzeon and want to know more, check out the Bioscrip HIV Empowerment Group this month. Richard Gettings, Fuzeon Nurse Connections, will be on hand to answer all your questions.

Come and share your experience with Fuzeon and get support from other folks who are in the same boat. October 9th, 2007 at 6:30pm at Bioscrip Pharmacy (1325 14th Street NW).

download a flyer for this event here.

Chip Arndt: AIDS Walk Washington's Grand Marshal

You may remember Chip Arndt from his stint on the TV show The Amazing Race. Chip and then-partner Reichen Lehmkuehl won not only the big prize, but also plenty of attention for being the first same-sex couple to do so.

Even before the show, Chip Arndt was known for his support of LGBT and HIV/AIDS causes. Since the show, however, he has been able to do even more. Chip is featured in this week's Metro weekly. Be sure to read the article and check out Chip's MySpace Page.

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day: May 18th, 2008

About HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
Scientists have been searching for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection since the virus was first identified in 1983. Each clinical trial brings us one step closer to finding an effective vaccine. More than 25,000 HIV-negative individuals have participated in both government- and privately sponsored HIV vaccine trials.

May 18, 2008 marks the eleventh annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. It is a day to educate our communities about the efforts to find a preventive HIV vaccine and to recognize and thank the thousands of volunteers, health professionals and scientists who are conducting and participating in HIV vaccine research.

November 30th: DC Meth Awareness Day

Save the Date, November 30th is Crystal Meth Awareness Day. Crystal meth is a very addictive drug that continues to be used in the District, particularly among gay men. And unfortunately crystal meth use and HIV often go hand in hand.

Our local Crystal Meth Working Group has done some great work raising awareness of this issue, including the February 2007 Community Forum on Crystal Meth.

Unfortunately, the event planned for Crystal Meth Awareness Day was criticized for not being relevant to our DC meth epidemic and inappropriate for the LGBT Community.

Check back here for plans for Crystal Meth Awareness Day this year, or visit www.crystalmethsucks.org.