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Understanding the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States pp 277–295Cite as

HIV Housing Helps End Homelessness and HIV/AIDS in the United States

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Part of the book series: Social Disparities in Health and Health Care ((SDHHC))

Abstract

This chapter addresses the syndemic relationship between HIV/AIDS and homelessness or precarious housing. We focus nationally on the United States, and conclude with a case study from the city of Chicago. This chapter reviews a wide number of studies which demonstrate that homelessness or unstable housing greatly impacts the health and overall well-being of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Studies show an interrelationship between HIV status and housing status—people with HIV/AIDS are at risk of housing insecurity and homelessness due to a number of economic and income factors, while homelessness or housing insecurity is often associated with sex and drug use behaviors that place individual at high risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV. This chapter discusses the U.S. federal policies and strategies enacted to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to support low-income individuals with HIV/AIDS. Research shows that stable housing is key to achieving the goals of strategies and is associated with improved health outcomes for those with HIV/AIDS. In addition to better health outcomes, stable housing and supportive services for low-income individuals with chronic illnesses including HIV/AIDS is associated with reduced medical costs. Finally, this chapter describes the experiences of formerly homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS and on Medicaid who are enrolled in a supportive housing program in Chicago. Through this case study, we explore the impact of the supportive housing program on these individuals’ health behavior and status and overall well-being.

The original version of this chapter was revised: The city and country name of the author Christine C. George was changed in this chapter. The erratum to this chapter is available at 10.1007/978-3-319-34004-3_13

An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34004-3_13

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Notes

  1. 1.

    2013 U.S. data not included.

  2. 2.

    In the top sixth decile of Medicaid Expense Charts.

  3. 3.

    See full evaluation technical report entitled “Evaluation of the Medicaid Supportive Housing Program” developed by researchers at Loyola University Chicago Center for Urban Research and Learning at http://static1.squarespace.com/static/51e86261e4b00dfa7317c09b/t/54945da6e4b0b89b6fa3fd55/1419009446197/FINAL+MSHP+Technical+Report.pdf.

  4. 4.

    This represents data entered into the AIDS Foundation of Chicago program Client Track Database as of July of 2013.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Policy Research Collaborative, Roosevelt University, Chicago, USA

    Julie Hilvers

  2. Center for Urban Research and Learning, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Christine C. George

  3. AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Arturo V. Bendixen

Authors
  1. Julie Hilvers
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  2. Christine C. George
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  3. Arturo V. Bendixen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie Hilvers .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Eric R. Wright

  2. Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Neal Carnes

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Hilvers, J., George, C.C., Bendixen, A.V. (2016). HIV Housing Helps End Homelessness and HIV/AIDS in the United States. In: Wright, E., Carnes, N. (eds) Understanding the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States. Social Disparities in Health and Health Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34004-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34004-3_11

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