People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face structural and individual-level barriers to care, leading to disparities across the HIV care continuum in San Francisco. The ecology of homelessness—in which poverty, stigma, violence, and racial inequities synergize with medical conditions, including mental health and substance use disorders—impedes engagement with traditional healthcare and social service programs, compounding poor outcomes .
Clemenzi-Allen AA, Hickey M, Conte M, et al. Improving Care Outcomes for PLWH Experiencing Homelessness and Unstable Housing: a Synthetic Review of Clinic-Based Strategies. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2020;17(3):259-267
Innovative programs have been developed across San Francisco to address some of these barriers for people experiencing homelessness and have been successful in beginning to address disparities in HIV testing, prevention, and clinical care. Yet, there has to be a concerted effort to coordinate, align and expand upon these efforts to improve testing, prevention and HIV treatment for PEH city-wide.
The mission of this Committee’s work is thus to create a coalition of stakeholders across San Francisco to work collaboratively in identifying gaps in services, defining key goals, developing and implementing countermeasures, and tracking progress toward reducing HIV incidence, viremia, and mortality among PWH experiencing homelessness or unstable housing.
Here are slides outlining the Committee’s goals and immediate work plan.
If you would like more information or would like to join, please email info@gettingtozerosf.org.