SAN DIEGO – The San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative (HFC), a grant program of San Diego Human Dignity Foundation (SDHDF), held a luncheon Friday, Jan. 29 in the Deborah Hoffman Community Room at The San Diego Foundation in Liberty Station where representatives from 11 local nonprofits and the community at large assembled to celebrate the gifts of critical funds from HFC to support their HIV/AIDS programs and services.
According to the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency’s 2012 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Report, California has the second largest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Also, San Diego County has the third largest number of HIV/AIDS cases in California. Due to the large number of cases, numerous organizations in San Diego County offer several programs and services to proactively support those suffering from and ending new HIV infections.
“San Diego boasts a wonderful array of culturally and gender-sensitive HIV programming,” said Ian Morton, senior programs analyst, San Diego Human Dignity Foundation and HIV Funding Collaborative. “We would not have it any other way! Whether preventing or treating HIV, it is imperative that we have programs that reflect the diversity and needs of individual San Diegans. Through the HIV Funding Collaborative, we are able to support advocacy programs with childcare options; syringe exchange programs which can benefit communities impacted by addiction while keeping dirty needles out of playgrounds; and legal services for individuals dealing with employment or housing discrimination.”
The following organizations were honored at Friday’s luncheon:
- Being Alive – $20,000 – To support the organization’s general funding program.
- Christie’s Place – $20,000 – To fund integrated HIV services for women, children and families.
- Family Health Center San Diego – $20,000 – To support their Safe Point syringe exchange program.
- Fraternity House – $15,750 – To support their Mental Health, Education, Nutrition and a healthy Direction (MEND) project.
- Mama’s Kitchen – $20,000 – To fund their AIDS nutrition program and pantry service.
- NC LGBTQ Community Center – $20,000 – To fund their HIV/AIDS project.
- San Diego Volunteer Lawyer’s Program – $20,000 – For their HIV/AIDS legal services project.
- San Diego Youth Services – $19,993 – To support the Peer Education Empowerment Program (PEEP).
- San Ysidro Health Centers – $20,000 – To support the CASA and Our Place programs. This organization focuses on Latino and African American HIV services.
- Stepping Stone San Diego – $20,000 – To support its general funding program.
- Vista Community Clinic – $20,000 – To fund their program which provides pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to high-need North County populations.
In total, the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation through the HFC donated more than $215,000 in funds this year. Since the start of SDHDF’s collaboration with HFC in 2009, the SDHDF has gifted more than $1.6 million through the HFC program to San Diego County HIV/AIDS programs and services. Since the HFC’s inception in 1990, the organization has donated more than $3 million in grants. The SDHDF’s HFC program is considered one of the largest local funding programs for local HIV/AIDS service providers.
Additionally, the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation also made announcements and provided details at the luncheon about what’s to come in 2016, which is also the organization’s 20th anniversary. In addition to supporting San Diego through grants for agencies and programs, for the third year SDHDF and HFC will support consumers living with HIV through the advocacy initiative, AIDS Watch. This opportunity allows individuals to meet with elected officials and staff in Washington D.C., to give first-hand accounts on how HIV legislation and policy affect their lives. Nominated by the agencies that have watched them grow, the 2016 delegates team will be made up of: Tracie O’Brien (Family Health Centers), Anthony Mendavil (Stepping Stone), Rafael Rubalcaba (North County LGBTQ Center), Raul Robles (San Diego LGBT Center), Priscilla Mahannah (Christie’s Place) and Dennis Vega (San Ysidro Health Centers).
