HIV and housing assistance in four U.S. cities: variations in local experience.
This paper provides an account of how young, HIV-positive women manage their lives on limited budgets in four United States cities: New York City, New Orleans, Miami, and Chicago. The study findings elucidate city-to-city variability in housing assistance, and how this manifests in locality specific differences in the experience of HIV. Our research suggests that the receipt of housing assistance has ramifications for women's engagement in care, and for their health. Women not receiving aid often move frequently in and out of homelessness, or "double up" with others in complex household arrangements to share costs. Women with long-term housing assistance, while still struggling financially, possess a stable base from which to approach daily life and HIV care. This account suggests a need for empirical research assessing the impact of local variations in housing assistance on specific health outcomes for those with HIV. It also highlights the importance of understanding local contexts when designing housing interventions at both the individual and structural levels.
Scott
Alison
A
Georgia Southern University, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA. ascott@georgiasouthern.edu
Ellen
Jonathan
J
Clum
Gretchen
G
Leonard
Lori
L
D002641:Chicago; D002947:Cities; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs; D009519:New York City; D011203:Poverty; D011632:Public Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health