Feds Take Action Against LGBT Housing Discrimination

via Advocate, by Neal Broverman

Speaking Saturday at the Creating Change conference in Baltimore, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan promised new rules against LGBT discrimination in housing and lending.

The rule prohibits owners and operators of HUD-assisted or HUD-insured housing from inquiring about an applicant or occupant's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Also, lenders offering Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgages cannot discriminate against LGBT people  in their borrowing practices, and cannot ask about their orientation or gender identity.

The narrow definition of "family," sometimes used as a way to discriminate against gay or transgender people in HUD voucher programs, will now not take into account marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The new rules will be published next week and go into effect 30 days after.

"Enacting a rule is not enough. Training and education are essential to ensuring rules are followed in communities across the country," Donovan said at the conference.

"And so, HUD and its fair housing partners will work to provide guidance and training on the substance of this rule – and the impact it will have for both how we administer HUD programs and also how we enforce our nation’s fair housing laws more broadly."

HUD's new rules, which piggyback on already-existing LGBT friendly practices, were heralded by the HRC, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Donovan also spent much time in his speech reminding attendees of President Obama's accomplishments, including ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," enacting the Matthew Shepard hate crimes law, expanding hospital visitation rights, and banning transgender discrimination in federal employment.


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Winning the Battle Against HIV/AIDS

via Champions of Change, by David Ernesto Munar

Ed. Note: Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century.

I am honored that the White House chose to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the HIV/AIDS pandemic with me and other openly HIV-positive organizers from across the country. We gathered recently with federal officials to reflect on the salient lessons learned and milestones marked in the fight against HIV/AIDS over the past three decades.

Reflecting on this solemn occasion stirs a mix of emotions.

In 30 years, HIV has caused tremendous loss and human suffering in every corner of the inhabited world. But it has also inspired heroic acts of kindness, generosity, and leadership. Looking back, we must laud the significant medical, political, and scientific advances achieved but also sustain a firm understanding of the unfinished work that lies ahead. With record numbers of people living with HIV and increasing numbers of new infections, we must reinvigorate efforts to provide people with and at risk for HIV/AIDS with the health and social services, housing, prevention, and human-rights protections they so desperately need and deserve. HIV knows no borders and neither should our compassion and actions.

Recognizing the rapid maturity of HIV medical, behavioral and social sciences, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now considers HIV a winnable battle. To truly win the future, the U.S. must not relent until we’ve won the fight against HIV/AIDS.

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Feds Model Illinois on LGBT Housing Rights Proposal

By the end of the year, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals won't be shut out of federal housing assistance any longer. In a move praised by gay rights groups yesterday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) unveiled a proposed rule change that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in many of the agency's key programs, including government-backed mortgages and public housing. While HUD is still conducting a national study on the topic, a 2007 analysis of 120 fair housing tests in Michigan found that 25 percent of gays faced disparate treatment.

Read the rest at Progress Illinois.

Bill Introduced to Amend Fair Housing Law to Include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York introduced a bill yesterday that would ban housing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or source of income. The bill would amend the Fair Housing Act to include these categories and would impact the sale and rental of housing, home financing and brokerage services.

"Transgender people urgently need protection from discrimination in housing. It is unconscionable that people are being forced out of their home and onto the streets because of prejudice," noted NCTE's Executive Director Mara Keisling.

A survey of transgender and gender non-conforming people conducted by NCTE and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force last year found that 19% of the 6,450 respondents reported having been homeless at some point in their lives because of their gender identity. People of color reported even higher rates, with an alarming 41% of African Americans and 29% of Latina/os in the study having been homeless because of bias.

Read the rest at NCTE.

Peter, I am a poz ex-felon, how can I find housing?

[Peter Pointers is here 4 YOU, as a service to LifeLube readers - whatever question you may have regarding sexual health, physical health, mental/emotional and spiritual health - ask him. He will find the answers you are looking 4. helped by a team of experts. Below is a recent Q&A you may be interested to read.]

Question:  Hi Peter -  I need to know where I can get help with housing. My story: hiv poz, ex felon, I got a medical card link card. Can you help?

Answer:I am happy that you are reaching out for help in trying to secure the your basic needs.  There are some wonderful organizations out there that may be able to help you out.  So, it's great that you are looking into it I can provide you with some local resources that can get you started in your search for housing:

First, by contacting the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), you can get a case manager to help with many aspects of living with HIV:

Here is the process for obtaining case management services:

Contact the AIDS Foundation of Chicago at (312) 922-2322 and say that you need a case manager. One of AFC's program staff will refer you to an agency in your area that will provide you with a case manager who can help you get the services you need.

AFC has many programs that may be helpful to you. 

Specifically look into their case management for the re-entry population.  This program attempts to ensure that those who are re-entering are receiving adequate HIV and other primary medical care. More information can be found here:  or by contacting Donnise Gaffeney (dgaffeney@aidschicago.org) at (312) 922-2322.

Another program to look into though AFC is "Housing for Health."  Here is more information on that program.
 
Also, the organization "Chicago House" provides housing and hope to men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS who may be homeless, at risk of homelessness, mentally ill, or struggling with substance abuse and poverty.  Here is more information on Chicago House's housing program.

Direct2Housing is a tool that allows you to search for housing information on your own. You can select the characteristics that match who you are and what you are looking for in terms of housing. Click "GO" and view your search results. You can click on each of the results to see contact information, eligibilty criteria, and application process for those programs.

Lastly, Test Positive Aware Network puts out, every year, a great resource for people with HIV.  This is called the Illinois HIV Services Directory, which is available for free online here.  On that page, on the left hand side, click on "Agencies by Category" and then choose Housing Placement as your category.  That should provide you with the telephone number, website, and information on MANY organizations in and around Chicago that help with housing in one way or another.

Be well,
Peter Pointers

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Broadway Youth Center Gets a Makeover

Howard Brown's Broadway Youth Center (the BYC) recently became the beneficiary of the outstanding support, talent, and services at Designs for Dignity, an organization that engages the design community to support other, community-based non-profits through outstanding design and improvement of the physical space. The BYC - a collaborative, LGBT and homless youth center that serves more than 5,000 at-risk young people each year - was in need of their help!

The design industry professionals at Designs for Dignity overhauled the BYC's facility - creating a more beautiful, functional, efficient, and client-friendly space. Their generosity and commitment to helping Howard Brown serve young, homeless/runaway, and at-risk LGBT youth has created an amazing new BYC!

See more before-and-after photos of the BYC at the Designs for Dignity website.

Since 2004, the Broadway Youth Center (BYC) has been a safe space for homeless, LGBT and other at-risk youth, ages 12 to 24, to access multiple resources and services designed to promote their overall health and well-being, including: medical care; basic need drop-in services; housing linkages; crisis intervention counseling and psychotherapy; HIV/STD testing and prevention programs; tutoring and testing for youth interested in obtaining a GED high school equivalency diploma; life-skills workshops to help youth develop financial literacy, employment and independence skills; the nation's first LGBT-specific mentor program; and community-based research projects.

Obama’s Budget Proposal Expands HIV Prevention, Remains Silent on Syringes

via AIDS Foundation of Chicago

President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year calls for nominal housing and HIV-related funding increases and no action to reverse the decades-old ban on federal funding for evidence-based syringe-exchange services.

The president’s plan seeks a $54 million increase (2.4 percent) for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment programs, a $443 million increase (1.5 percent) for HIV/AIDS biomedical research coordinated at the National Institutes of Health, funding increases for Section 8, which benefits tens of thousands of low-income and disabled families in metropolitan Chicago, and an initial appropriation for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to increase the nation’s stock of affordable housing.

Housing is Health

The Journal of the American Medical Association this week highlights the merits of an innovative supportive housing program the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) spearheaded to better meet the needs of homeless individuals with chronic medical conditions, including HIV. Given this new evidence of effectiveness, AFC is disappointed to learn the president’s budget does not seek increased funding for the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program.

“We now have empirical evidence that supportive housing is instrumental in stabilizing chronically ill homeless individuals in cost-effective outpatient medical care,” said AFC President/CEO Mark Ishaug. “Supportive and stable housing is not only humane but also a rational and cost-effective approach to achieve the best health outcomes for chronically ill homeless individuals. We hope the Obama Administration and Congress embrace these new findings and expand HOPWA and other supportive housing programs.”

HIV Prevention

The President's $3.55 trillion budget includes a $53 million increase for domestic HIV prevention and surveillance programs funded through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The proposed 7.7 percent funding increase departs from previous budgets that either flat-funded or reduced domestic HIV prevention services. The proposal responds to CDC research unveiled last year indicating that 56,000 individuals become HIV-infected each year, a 40 percent increase over the previous estimate.

Read the rest.