| July 08, 2009 | ||
In Today's In-Brief:
SAVE THE DATE: NOVEMBER 5, 2009 Please join HIV Law Project on November 5, 2009 for its 20th Anniversary Benefit.
To purchase tickets or for more information please email Michael Pankow, Development Director, at mpankow@hivlawproject.org or (212) 577-3001 ext. 231. Ticket sales and donations support critical legal and advocacy services to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. HIV LAW PROJECT: COMPREHENSIVE, CLIENT-FIRST LEGAL SERVICES George, an elderly disabled man living with AIDS was bedridden and needed 12 hour nursing care. He relied on Social Security Disability benefits and Medicaid to pay his bills and meet his basic survival needs. George was also a victim of an abusive roommate and of life circumstances beyond his control.Fortunately, George came to HIV Law Project. When he first met with our legal staff, he was being forced out of his home of thirty years. In addition to abusing George, his roommate John was also disturbing other tenants. Due to John’s violent conduct the landlord began a holdover proceeding, which is an attempt to evict someone for reasons other than non payment of rent. HIV Law Project’s legal staff took immediate action and worked with HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) to relocate George to a safe environment that was attentive to his special needs. George was eventually able to move back into his apartment. At the same time, Medicaid determined that George made more money than allowed by the established income limits for receiving coverage. They decided to terminate his benefits. HIV Law Project legal staff stepped in and set up a supplemental needs trust that allowed George to maintain Medicaid. George would not have been able to pay for his medical care and special needs due to his condition without Medicaid. A couple years later, Medicaid threatened again to terminate George’s coverage because they did not understand how the supplementary needs trust worked. Again, HIV Law Project advocated on behalf of George, secured his benefits, and made sure that the Medicaid office applied the correct regulations to George’s case. Due to HIV Law Project’s comprehensive approach to legal services, our legal staff was able to identify multiple issues and, guided by our client-first approach, take the time to effectively advocate for George’s rights, dignity, and quality of life. *Names of individuals above have been changed. MS. FOUNDATION SUPPORTS HIV LAW PROJECT Ms. Foundation for Women renews critical support in 2009-2010 for HIV Law Project’s Center for Women & HIV Advocacy.“We are thrilled that Ms. Foundation values our accomplishments and recognizes the impact of this program,” said Tracy L. Welsh, Executive Director of HIV Law Project. “Their renewed support will bolster our efforts to close the leadership gap for HIV-positive women and shape the future of HIV policy.” As designed, the Center for Women & HIV Advocacy (CWHA) works to address and remedy the underlying factors that work to exclude women living with HIV/AIDS from decision and policy-making mechanisms by building their leadership skills and their capacity to act on their own behalf and on the behalf of others. CWHA’s mission is to establish a vocal national presence on HIV-related women’s issues, including special issues affecting women immigrants. Through legal education, advocacy training, and issue-specific community outreach, CWHA empowers HIV-positive women by giving them the tools to organize and the skills to educate each other, public officials, the media, and the general public, on issues important to them, their families, and the communities in which they live. Further, CWHA actively involves low-income women of color, immigrants, lesbians, and young women in organizational leadership and decision-making structures, program design, and social change efforts. To learn more about the Center for Women & HIV Advocacy, please visit our CWHA pages online. You can also view and download some recent policy reports.
*HIV Law Project is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are 100% tax-deductible. BE SURE TO RECEIVE OUR IN-BRIEF EMAILS. MAKE HIV LAW PROJECT YOUR BUDDY! Some Internet Service Providers like AOL, Yahoo! and Hotmail use
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