Evans L, Townsend M, Stuerzbecher K, Miller P, Abbott-Brown G, Hutchinson C, Isaac B, Crane G, Craigie S, Fairfield P, O'Rourke C, Lewis B, Kelly B, Trites D, Gracak S, Laviolette T, Smith L; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1996 Jul 7-12; 11: 418 (abstract no. Th.D.5074).
Downtown Eastside Residents Society, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Fax: 683-6653.
Issue: There is a tangible population of homeless people in Vancouver, who are considered unserviceable, un-housable, and fail to fit into existing forms of support services. This population frequently have a combination of factors putting them at high risk for contracting and spreading HIV including; mental illness, chronic, heavy drug and alcohol use, criminal involvement, behaviorally difficult, sex trade workers. This population live under conditions of extreme poverty, poor emotional and physical health, and tend to die young. Many have no social support network. Presently, 35% of the residents self report as HIV+ while the remainder are at high risk of contracting HIV. There is a high incidence of malnutrition, poor hygiene, chronic and repeated infections, hepatitis A,B and C, TB, and no understanding of HIV. Project: The Portland Hotel opened by the Downtown Eastside Residents Association, a non profit housing society, in 1991, provides 70 SRO units to the "hardest of the hard to house". The Portland has a "no eviction" philosophy and believes in providing stable housing as a first step towards creating a stable community, improving health and moving towards risk reduction. A small staff complement are responsible for: operating a clean needle exchange, events programming and implementation, medication "storage" including the administration of a methadone program, crisis intervention, first aid, CPR, advocacy, community liaison, and general hotel maintenance and administration. Staff have also seen residents die in their hotel rooms, as they refuse traditional care. In these cases, staff have become palliative attendants. Two physicians provide on site weekly clinics. Public health nurses perform clean dressing changes twice weekly. AIDS Vancouver provide a drop-in advocate once a week. Results: While the average resident of the Downtown Eastside live in the community for 6 years, the average length of stay in a hotel is 3-6 months. For Portland residents, who would be expected to be more transient, average length of stay is 21 months. The Portland is an illustration that housing that is compassionate, flexible, and accepting can create a supportive community for a population in crises.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis A Vaccines
- Housing
- Incidence
- Mental Disorders
- Poverty
- Prostitution
- Substance-Related Disorders
Other ID:
UI: 102221243
From Meeting Abstracts