The National AIDS Housing Coalition remembers the millions of people who have died from AIDS throughout the world and stands up with those currently living with HIV/AIDS to fight for access to healthcare and housing. Throughout this past year, COVID-19 has continued to shake the world as we all fight to gain access to healthcare, vaccines, socioeconomic inequalities, racism, and rebuilding economies.
We are joining agencies and leaders around the world to End Inequalities End AIDS. End Pandemics.
In March 2020, the United Nations Economic and Social Council brought Homelessness as a priority theme and had the first-ever Resolution on Homelessness, stating that approximately 1.6 billion people worldwide live in inadequate housing conditions and is a serious violation of human dignity. In February 2021 the Council stated,
“The issue of Homelessness proved to be and remains a pervasive international issue related to nearly all multilateral issues and focuses of the United Nations.”*
Having a stable home is a cornerstone of people’s lives and this is only more true for people living with HIV/AIDS providing positive health outcomes, access to adequate treatment, and for people living with HIV/AIDs how long they will live.
Twenty-Twenty-One (2021) marks 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported with approximately 38 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS currently. Globally, progress on treatment access increased greatly these past 11 years but is starting to stall, and by June 2021 a remarkable 28.2 million people have had access to antiretroviral therapy as compared to 2010 with 7.8 million people having access to treatments. Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, approximately 46% of people have died globally from AIDS-related illnesses; that’s an average of 36.3 million deaths and an average of 79.3 million people have become infected with HIV globally. In 2020, around 680,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide.**
This year, like previous years, NAHC is once again fighting for a monetary increase for the HOPWA program here in the United States. This critical program ensures low and extremely low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS have access to safe places to live, opportunities for counseling and case management, and access to transportation and food. This year, HOPWA and other HUD programs have stepped up to ensure people in our nation have stayed housed through COVID-19 relief, but our advocacy is necessary to ensure all persons living with HIV/AIDS in our nation have access to quality, affordable, and adequate housing.
For World AIDS Day, we ask for you to take action and contact your local officials and members of Congress and urge them to support HOPWA and other HUD programs so that we can end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in America.
Housing is the Foundation. Housing is Healthcare.
Yours in Fight,
Lauren Banks
Executive Director
National AIDS Housing Coalition
*United Nations Social and Economic Council: 2020 Resolution, 2021 Statement
