ANNUAL - REPORT CONTENTS Vision And Mission 1 LIVING POSITIVE VICTORIA Living Positive Victoria President’s Report 2 Straight Arrows Chairperson’s Report 3 Living Positive Victoria acknowledges the Living Positive Victoria Chief Executive Officer’s Report 4 support of the Victorian Government. Straight Arrows Executive Officer’s Report 5 Our Response: Women living with HIV 6 Our guiding principles 8 participation 8 Peer education and support 9 Disclosure Project 10 Summer Festivals 10 Living Positive Victoria Positive Leadership Development Insititue (PLDI) 11 (People Living With HIV/AIDS Regional Outreach 12 Victoria Incorporated) Connecting communities 12 ABN 67 049 438 341 Treat Now campaign 12 Registration No. A0039027B Positive Speakers Bureau (PSB) 13 Coventry House Senior Voices Project (SVP) 13 Suite 1, 111 Coventry Street ENUF 14 Southbank Victoria 3006 Community Cultural Engagement 15 Gen Next 15 T: 03 9863 8733 International AIDS Candelight Memorial – 2016 16 F: 03 9863 8734 World Aids Day at The Doherty Insitute 16 E: [email protected] Volunteer program 17 livingpositivevictoria.org.au In The Loop 17 resilience 18 Phoenix 19 Knoweldge to Action Plans 19 STRAIGHT ARROWS Position Statement on Marriage Equality and the Plebiscite 19 Annual Report 2015-2016 Statistics 20-21 Straight Arrows Victoria prevention 22 ABN 88 837 988 037 Research Summary on the COUNT Study 23 Registration No. A0034254C Sex Work Position Statement 23 Coventry House Syphilis Position Paper 23 Suite 1, 111 Coventry Street Gay Community Periodic Survey – Summary for PLHIV 24 Southbank Victoria 3006 Partnerships 25 Double Happiness Campaign and PrEP 25 T: 03 9863 9414 recovery 26 F: 03 9863 9421 Adult Retreat 27 E: [email protected] Flip 28 straightarrows.org.au Camp Seaside 29 photography Members Dinners 30 All images have been used with permission. Members Fun Days 30 You must seek permission in writing from Christmas Party 31 Living Positive Victoria before reproducing Living Positive Victoria And Straight Arrows Board And Staff 32-33 photographs from this report in any medium. Positive Community 2016 Awards 34-35 The inclusion of a person’s photograph in the Living Positive Victoria Financial Report 2015 – 2016 36-37 report implies nothing about their sexuality or Straight Arrows Financial Report 2015 – 2016 38-39 HIV serostatus. Thank You 40-41 Photographs by Daniel Burke. burkephotography.com.au publication design The Living Positive Victoria and Straight Arrows Annual Report 2015 – 2016 is designed by Ography. ography.com.au LIVING POSITIVE VICTORIA STRAIGHT ARROWS VISION Living Positive Victoria shares the vision Straight Arrows envisions heterosexual men of the National Association of People with and women living with HIV to be personally HIV Australia of a world where people living with responsible for their own wellbeing, able to HIV live their lives to their full potential, manage their lives positively and safely, and to be in good health and free from discrimination. involved in and supported by their community. MISSION Living Positive Victoria is a community-based To deliver peer based support and information, organisation that works to advance the human and provide advocacy through health promotion rights and wellbeing of people living with HIV. for HIV positive heterosexual men, women, Our mission is to enable and empower all their partners and families. Straight Arrows is people affected by and living with HIV governed by and for heterosexual people living in Victoria to be part of the response that with HIV and will continue being the lead agency seeks an end to the HIV epidemic. for heterosexuality and HIV in Victoria. 1 LIVING POSITIVE VICTORIA PRESIDENT’S REPORT What a privilege it has been to serve in the gave PLHIV an opportunity to talk candidly of understanding with Positive Women role of President of Living Positive Victoria about their stories of disclosure. A key theme Victoria to solidify the Coventry House in a historic year which has seen the merger of this project, ‘disclose without shame’, partnership and to streamline our of two dynamic sector partners with a shared launched the Disclosure sofa at World AIDS engagement with women living with HIV. vision of a stronger and more inclusive Day 2015 to much acclaim. It was a pleasure We know that our programs must continue HIV organisation. to partner with the AIDS Council of New South to reflect our diverse population living with Wales (ACON) on a project that puts PLHIV’s HIV including transgender and intersex I would like to thank the staff of both Living lived experience at its heart and opens people, heterosexual and bisexual men, Positive Victoria and Straight Arrows, up conversations around disclosure, stigma women and families, indigenous communities, and current and former members of the and confidentiality. people from culturally and linguistically Strengthening Positive Voices working group diverse (CALD) backgrounds and those including Brent Allan, Sara Graham, Jeffrey Living Positive Victoria has continued from high prevalence countries. Our goal Robertson, Wayne Hornsby, Ian Muchamore to empower individuals and communities is to keep Living Positive Victoria relevant and and Kim Davis in bringing together both through programs like the Phoenix workshops, accessible to all PLHIV and we recognise that organisations. The Strengthening Positive Gen Next, the Senior Voices Project and the we must continue to provide a platform for Voices working group has worked tirelessly Positive Speakers Bureau, and has continued our diverse voices to be heard. since 2014 resulting in the unanimous to play a leading role in the Positive Leadership support received from the membership of Development Institute Australia (PLDI). The future is bright! I would like to thank the both Living Positive Victoria and Straight These individuals are not just our leaders of members of Living Positive Victoria for your Arrows to come together as one organisation. tomorrow, they are leading today. PLDI alumni support for a united vision for the wellbeing in Victoria now occupy a diverse range of roles of PLHIV and to see an end to HIV. As we In the last year, Living Positive Victoria at every level of the decision-making process begin our strategic planning, we look forward has been more focused on our core of our sector organisations, through direct to having extensive community engagement strengths such as resilience building, social employment, serving on boards of directors, opportunities for members to participate connectedness, peer support, health peer support roles, facilitating and moderating in setting the future direction and priorities for promotion, treatment uptake and adherence, alcohol and drug and mental health support the organisation. Living Positive Victoria will and challenging the stigma and discrimination groups for PLHIV, and setting up social support continue to ensure that PLHIV are at the centre that continues to be attached to the lived groups like HIVsters. Their dedication to the of ending HIV as we have always been. experience of HIV. In conjunction with our community enshrines the principles of the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Accord greater and meaningful involvement of PLHIV, partners, we delivered the well conceived and the expertise, insight and wealth of Double Happiness campaign. It was an experience that exists amongst the positive opportunity to put Treatment as Prevention community is now more broadly recognised alongside PrEP as a modern and evolving as a significant asset than at any other time. response to prevention and the reduction of onward transmission. Together through But for me, the most important partnership our Accord partnership and national bodies, event of the year was among the Coventry we will work with both Government and the House Partners with the delivery of the pharmaceutical industry to get PrEP listed first women’s Phoenix workshop. This was on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and delivered jointly by Straight Arrows and ensure it is accessible and affordable to all Positive Women Victoria who worked closely who need it. with the Phoenix project staff and facilitation team. The workshop was well received and we The Disclosure Project received a great are currently working on a memorandum Richard Keane response both locally and at AIDS 2016 which president 2 STRAIGHT ARROWS CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT What an exciting year this has been. Over the other positive voice organisations remains as We have also had a very committed board and past year Straight Arrows has consolidated crucial as ever in empowering people to live I would like to thank them for their ongoing and expanded our services to women, full, healthy and meaningful lives. support. They worked hard to get the merger heterosexual men and families living with and across the line. I particularly want to thank the This year we have introduced new programs directly affected by HIV, and the board and Strengthening Positive Voices working group, and consolidated existing programs including staff have worked assiduously towards our especially Wayne Hornsby, Ken Goodier and the introduction of a Phoenix workshop for merger with Living Positive Victoria to ensure Sara Graham, who worked tirelessly over the recently diagnosed heterosexual men. there is a strong, sustainable voice for all last two years to ensure the merger was right A highlight of the year was our Adult PLHIV in Victoria. for Straight Arrows members. Retreat at the Summit in Gippsland. It was Throughout the negotiations for the merger, a wonderful time of fellowship and mutual I would also like to thank Richard Keane for his it has been heartening to see the synergies support and many of the participants thought unflagging work during his time as President between Straight Arrows and Living Positive it was life changing. The weekend provided for Living Positive Victoria, making sure the Victoria. Both organisations are committed exciting, fun and physical challenges that needs of heterosexual communities were at at all levels to ensuring that quality services promoted strength, team work and resilience.