YOUR What’s Inside: Page 12: Volunteers Make the Difference Impact Report! Page 2: Removing Stigma Through Trust Page 13: SAAF Staff Page 3: Portrait of a Client Page 14: Financials in Review Thank you Page 4: Care Services in Review Page 15: SAAF Reaches $15 Minimum Wage for making the Page 6: TLC4: The First Year Page 16: Circles of Humanity 2018 difference! Page 8: Prevention Services in Review Page 18: Corporate & Foundation Donors 2018 Page 11: The Anti-Violence Project: Esteban Page 20: Make Your Impact Monthly The CONNECTION THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHERN ARIZONA AIDS FOUNDATION Impact Report FY 2017-2018 Spring 2019 Volume 6, Issue 1 “When I arrived at SAAF, I found a support group, an outlet where I was able to find myself, a place where I belong, and people that helped me find my voice.” – Tina K. Removing Stigma Through Trust By Wendell Hicks, Executive Director Photo by Scott Griessel, Creatista “When I walked into the doors Because of you, more than 460 youth We couldn’t do this work without you. of SAAF, I felt acceptance and have accessed TLC4 and found As a non-profit and more specifically warmth, a place where I belong.” acceptance at the only center of its as an AIDS service organization and an kind in all of Southern Arizona. LGBTQ+ serving organization, we must Every time I hear these words, I feel be accountable to our stakeholders: to moved and inspired. These words from This year, hundreds of people braved you, our clients, our donors, our staff our clients serve as a vital reminder the rains to walk beside those living and volunteers, our funders, and our that the act of creating a safe space with and affected by HIV/AIDS and to community at large. It is only with your where everyone is seen as deserving honor those we’ve lost in SAAF’s 30th trust and the trust of our stakeholders of dignity and love is essential to AIDSWALK. It is hard for me to imagine that SAAF can fulfill our vision of a building a “stigma-free society.” that after 30 years, we are still walking healthy and stigma-free society. Because you see that all people, in the fight against HIV/AIDS. When I This year, SAAF is proud to be the regardless of their HIV status, began my career as a volunteer in the Better Business Bureau’s first sexual orientation, or gender identity, HIV/AIDS field more than 30 years ago, accredited charity in Southern Arizona, are worthy of safety and kindness, the fear and stigma was everywhere. recognizing SAAF as a trusted members of our community suffering We’ve come a long way from those community resource. Thank you for from stigma and shame receive early years, moving from helping people putting your trust in us. compassionate, comprehensive care die with dignity to increasingly helping and prevention services. people live and thrive. While we have We are excited to share with you some made great strides, we still have work of the accomplishments that your trust This year our community realized a to do in removing the attached fear and and your commitment have made in collective dream of providing a safe stigma. It takes all of us recognizing our the following pages of this impact space where Southern Arizona’s common humanity to erase the stigma report. We are proud, and we hope you LGBTQ+ and allied youth can be and calm the fear. are too. Thank you for all that you do for themselves. In February, we celebrated our community. one year of SAAF’s new Thornhill Lopez We are honored and humbled to Center on 4th (TLC4) where LGBTQ+ have you walk beside us on the Very Truly Yours, and allied youth benefit from journey towards a healthy and empowering programming. stigma-free future. Wendell Hicks Executive Director OUR MISSION: To comment on the content of The SAAF Connection, To cultivate a healthy, stigma-free society email [email protected]. To be added or deleted from the mailing list or to make address changes, please contact SAAF at (520) 628-7223 or by email through transformative action. at [email protected]. Layout and Design: WhiteSpace Design, LLC ©Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, 2019. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation | www.saaf.org Portrait of a Client: CARE DEMOGRAPHICS Once again, SAAF provided services to the greatest number of people in its history, serving 1482 people living 92% 51% 80% with HIV/AIDS in Southern Arizona and their household members. Of these, 153 were new clients to SAAF. were were living below of clients have a suppressed low income the poverty level viral load (<200) Age Summary: Gender Summary: 1219 Male 3 34 425 826 194 246 17 2-12 years 13-24 years 25-44 years 45-64 years 65+ years Female Transgender Veteran Status (Pima County) Risk Factor Summary Race Summary: (Duplicate Counts Possible) Men Having Sex with Men (MSM) 30 American Indian or 1264 120 881 Alaskan Native No Yes Heterosexual Contact 11 3 372 Asian Not Intravenous Drug Usage (IDU) Available 94 202 African American MSM & IDU 159 467 Perinatal Transfer Hispanic or Latino/a 9 28 Blood Transfusion More than one race 9 2 Hemophilia Native Hawaiian or 7 Pacific Islander Unreported 742 White 5 (Not Hispanic) Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation | www.saaf.org Page 3 Care Services IN REVIEW FY 2017-2018 SAAF’s Care Services Department ensured that people living with HIV/AIDS have access to the services they need to maintain optimal health and live as independently and safely as possible. Care Services programs are grouped into three primary areas: Case Management, Support Services, and Housing Services. Due to the ongoing economic conditions and the stress of living with limited incomes, the demand remained high for basic support services including housing, food, transportation, emergency rent and utility assistance, as well as essential medical services including dental care Volunteers and staff move turkeys to prepare for Holiday Harvest. and medical benefits management. • Holiday Project – Our family day CASE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES for clients to celebrate the holidays and pick out gifts • Case Management provided needs Support Services allow clients to • Medical Benefits Management assessments, the development of have everything they need in order care and action plans, and referrals to become healthy and stay healthy. (MBM) – This service exists because to necessary services for HIV Case Management works closely with of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, positive individuals. Support Services to make sure that which helps eligible clients in every • Peer Counseling provided people clients are matched with the services Arizona county enroll in and pay for living with HIV/AIDS with a caring that will benefit them the most in order health insurance premiums through person living with or deeply affected to thrive. These services include, but cost sharing. This program gives by HIV/AIDS, from whom they can are not limited to the following: clients access to comprehensive receive support and information. medical care and prescription • Case Management was also • Complimentary Therapies – benefits that they would not provided to chronically homeless Massage, Acupuncture, and otherwise be able to obtain. persons in a program component Chiropractic Care • Support Groups serving chronically homeless • Dental – Statewide coverage • Transportation – Bus passes individuals regardless of their (excluding Maricopa and Pinal • Travis Wright Memorial Buyers’ HIV status. counties) for clients’ dental Club (tucsonbuyersclub.org) – insurance needs Name brand, quality supplements • Food and Nutrition – Home- and wellness supplies at a delivered meals with Food For Life, reduced cost emergency meals, the Food Pantry, Ensure nutritional supplementation distribution, and Harvest Days Page 4 Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation | www.saaf.org SAAF-owned Housing: 7 properties with 526 individuals 340 calls served through SAAF housing accepted by the AVP 83 units programs in Pima County crisis line Staff fill Harvest bags for monthly distribution to clients. Volunteer Edward Perez prepares meals for the Food for Life program. case management and supportive HOUSING SERVICES ANTI-VIOLENCE services. Wraparound case PROJECT (AVP) SAAF provides a wide variety of management and supportive services housing assistance programs to best enable clients to follow up with medical AVP works to prevent, respond to, fit client needs. In addition to owning appointments and behavioral health and end all forms of violence against 7 properties with 83 units, SAAF also care, assist them with obtaining income and within the LGBTQ+ communities works with community partners to help or employment, support them in of Southern Arizona. Through crisis house individuals who are HIV positive. accessing public benefits, and ensure intervention, AVP case managers Housing services can include any of the they are meeting their basic needs. provide emergency housing, support, following: and empowerment to victims of • 280 households and 526 total violence. These services include safety • Emergency Shelter individuals served through SAAF planning, goal planning, basic needs, • Rapid Rehousing housing programs in Pima County housing, advocacy, and support • Permanent Supportive Housing • 30 households and 55 total individuals navigating the legal system. • Tenant-based Rental Assistance served through SAAF housing • Transitional Housing services in Arizona excluding • Our crisis line accepted 340 calls Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties • 23 persons experiencing sexual SAAF staff make every effort to ensure assault and/or domestic violence that clients remain stably housed once were served and we reached full they have entered our housing program capacity on transitional housing through the provision of wraparound Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation | www.saaf.org Page 5 TLC4 participants pose for a photo during an art opening at Eon After Dark.