BEHIV
Mission The mission of BEHIV is to improve the lives of people with HIV and AIDS in the communities it serves through a comprehensive range of quality services, to inform the public about the virus and risk reduction behavior, and to increase understanding and compassion for people with HIV and AIDS. History With support from volunteers and community leaders, BEHIV was founded in 1989 in response to the growing numbers of people living with HIV in Chicago, Evanston, and surrounding communities. From the beginning, BEHIV has helped people living with HIV/AIDS cope with medical and emotional crises, as well as provided support to their partners, spouses, family members, and friends. With the advent of life-prolonging medications during the 1990s, the focus of the agency has expanded to include helping clients manage their medication regimens, return to work, expand their social networks, and lead healthy lives. BEHIV remains a leader in Chicago and the suburbs in fighting the spread of HIV by conducting HIV testing and counseling, educating youth, and reaching out to persons at risk for HIV. BEHIV’s services are some of the most innovative and unique programs in the HIV/AIDS community. We trust that through these services we will provide the population with the ability to make healthy choices surrounding their well being (emotional, mental, and physical), as well as increase understanding and compassion for people living with HIV/AIDS. Safe Start Housing We are one of two HIV/AIDS agencies in Illinois that have a Safe Start Housing program. BEHIV provides program participants with independent scattered-site housing and intensive case management. Additional activities and services are also made available to each participant. Program units are located on Chicago’s north side. Participants are required to pay a monthly fee in the amount of 30% of their monthly income. This program fee covers the cost of rent and all other services provided by the program. The Safe Start program is designed for a very specific segment of the HIV impacted population- those struggling with homelessness and substance abuse. Persons considered eligible must be homeless at the time of referral and this status must be verified with appropriate documentation. Persons considered eligible must also be diagnosed with AIDS and exhibit evidence of HIV/AIDS related disability; again, verification of diagnosis is required. Abstinence from alcohol or other drug use is not a requirement for program admission. Persons eligible for the program may also be affected by mental illness. Safe Start clients, beyond struggling with obstacles such as poverty, substance abuse, and homelessness, lack access to health care and are sometimes shunned by other AIDS services. BEHIV provides important links to our clients so that they have access to health care, mental health counseling, legal services, etc. Education Outreach BEHIV is the only local agency with an outreach program for youth focusing on HIV/AIDS transmission and how to make healthy choices surrounding issues of sexuality, substance abuse, peer pressure, and communication. BEHIV’s educational outreach services are designed to inform and educate our young people about the affects of HIV/AIDS, especially those at high-risk of contracting the disease. BEHIV’s current activities are to educate young people about HIV and sexually transmitted infections; communication with peers, parents, guardians, partners; safer sex; abstinence; HIV and STI testing and counseling; create empathy within the students and break stereotypes about people living with HIV; and provide opportunities to role play. Trained staff and volunteers engage students in lively dialogues that provide a valuable opportunity for youth to talk about the various barriers to practicing safer behaviors, including lack of knowledge and skills, peer pressure, substance abuse, sexuality, low self-esteem, and relationship violence. What makes BEHIV stand out is our unique approach to services, particularly in regards to outreach. One of BEHIV’s clients assists the Educational Outreach Coordinator with many of the public presentations and speaks candidly to the audience about her day-to-day life as a person living with AIDS. Questions are always welcomed and encouraged, and following every presentation, contact information for BEHIV is provided. These outreach activities bring BEHIV’s expertise and knowledge about HIV prevention directly to individuals in community settings that they find safe and accessible. BEHIV’s staff and volunteers are representative of the target populations, thereby establishing a strong community presence and a trusting rapport with those at risk. Case Management BEHIV’s case management program is a key component of the agency’s commitment to serving persons living with HIV/AIDS with high-quality and supportive services. Case management is often the entry point for clients into BEHIV’s other services, particularly mental health counseling, housing assistance, alternative therapies, and prevention. All clients are assessed for HIV risk behaviors during their initial assessments and re-assessments. BEHIV’s Case Management program provides ongoing needs assessment, referrals, and service plan development individually tailored for each client’s unique circumstances. BEHIV’s case managers are highly trained and knowledgeable about the resources available to people living with HIV and AIDS, including medical providers, entitlement programs, hospice, housing support, substance abuse treatment, legal assistance, etc. BEHIV assures that case management clients receive crucial prevention information and risk reduction counseling, in line with the strategic plan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All case management clients are screened for prevention services and can participate in comprehensive risk counseling and services. Furthermore, BEHIV has developed expertise in working with HIV-positive men and women who are also coping with substance abuse, mental illness, chronic health problems unrelated to HIV, and lack of access to basic resources such as food and housing. BEHIV’s case managers are becoming more directly involved in the coordination of medical services for their clients and are working more closely with clients to ensure that medical referrals are being followed through on and treatment is being accessed. Housing Assistance The lack of safe and affordable housing has dire consequences for people with HIV/AIDS, whose survival can literally depend on having a stable place to live. Housing instability can affect adherence to complex medication regimens and can result in a dramatic and sudden deterioration in health, necessitating an over-reliance on emergency room and inpatient care. BEHIV’s innovative housing program assists those who are in most need in the communities we serve. Our Housing program provides assistance to those living with HIV and AIDS and their families, by helping them maintain their housing and independence through technical assistance in budget planning, apartment searching, and applying for federal programs; advocacy in dealing with landlord/tenant conflicts; and emergency and ongoing rental and utility subsidies for clients who meet low-income eligibility criteria. We strive to help our clients maintain a roof over their heads during times of financial and medical upheavals so they do not have to deal with the added burden of being homeless. BEHIV advocates on behalf of these individuals, meeting each client on their own level. The Housing Assistance Program is guided by the principle that each person has the right to achieve his or her place in society, including a safe place to live. BEHIV believes that stable housing IS health care; our staff link individuals to essential support services which makes HIV and AIDS treatment, mental health counseling, and substance abuse services more accessible to clients. Prevention BEHIV addresses the HIV risk-reduction needs of people in the community through culturally competent, peer-based programming. We have conducted prevention outreach services throughout our service area for over 15 years, demonstrating our recognition of the tremendous importance of focusing on both care and prevention services. Through street outreach, education, marketing strategies, testing, harm reduction services, comprehensive risk counseling and services, support groups, in-house referrals for housing assistance and mental health services, as well as outside referrals and prevention case management, we are providing point of care service in neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus. Our Prevention team focuses on where current HIV/AIDS transmission is most concentrated, including the neighborhoods of Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park, which have the highest AIDS diagnosis rates in Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. Additionally, these neighborhoods have some of the highest poverty rates on Chicago’s north side. BEHIV’s street and community outreach team provide condom/safer sex kits, discuss health education and risk reduction techniques, conduct HIV and STI testing and make internal and external referrals, in order to connect individuals in need of services with proper care. These outreach activities bring BEHIV’s expertise and knowledge about HIV prevention directly to individuals in community settings that they find safe and accessible. BEHIV’s staff and volunteers are representative of the target populations, thereby establishing a strong community presence and a trusting rapport with those at risk. By doing so, peer educators and outreach staff are able to make knowledgeable referrals for services offered by both BEHIV and other agencies. BEHIV builds bridges between persons at high risk for HIV infection and a wide variety of services, such as homeless shelters, hospitals and clinics, food pantries, substance abuse treatment facilities, childcare facilities, and women-specific service providers. Getting high-risk individuals in for testing remains a high priority for Prevention staff. Those who wish to be tested for HIV are offered confidential HIV testing and counseling by trained BEHIV staff. If someone tests positive, they are linked with BEHIV’s HIV care services and referred to other agencies for additional services, including medical care and substance abuse treatment. All tests are accompanied by pre-and-post-test counseling by certified trained staff. Mental Health and Complementary Therapies Our Mental Health services are a critical part of BEHIV’s mission. They are designed to help people cope with the stress, shame, fear, isolation, depression, physical effects, and loss associated with HIV/AIDS. BEHIV’s trained staff provides comprehensive care and support, while respecting the dignity and privacy of the clients served. BEHIV’s Mental Health program includes massage and art therapies. Each component of the Mental Health program is an integral part of our clients’ health and well-being. To be able to work on ones emotional, mental, and physical health, as well as social expression, are important factors when dealing with the effects of HIV/AIDS. The fundamental purpose of the program is to provide a refuge for our clients where they will be able to express themselves and learn about/release their fears, pain, sadness, and grief; articulate and release their emotional/physical turmoil; deal with their behaviors and thought patterns about being HIV-positive; and celebrate their achievements through the expression of art, the release of physical pain, and/or the sanctuary of individual and group therapy. BEHIV's utmost priority is the health maintenance and stability of our clients. This is ensured through the tailoring of each counseling session and treatment plan to fit the needs of each individual's life circumstances. It is our goal to make sure that all clients receive direct access to quality care. BEHIV's Mental Health services have proven to reduce isolation and stress, furnish problem-solving and coping skills, and assist clients with life-changing issues. There is such a call for mental health care in the HIV community. Unfortunately, even as the numbers of infections increase, the amount of funding to provide this crucial service has significantly decreased. That is why it is critical to obtain sustained funding for this core program. We want to be able to reach more of those who are at high-risk for contracting the virus, while continuing to help those who are struggling with depression, isolation, a sense of betrayal or a lack of self-worth because of their diagnosis. We need to continue to increase understanding and compassion for those who are affected with, and by, HIV/AIDS in our community. There is a need to educate the public about HIV related mental health issues and erase the stigma that comes with the diagnosis. Our appeal to sustain and expand this vital program comes from a need, a want, from within our community and from the clients we serve.Programs
