244917 Developing Best Practices for HIV Positive Clients Residing in a Transitional Supportive Housing Program

Monday, October 31, 2011: 9:10 AM

Kevin Rente, MA , Housing Department, Harlem United Community AIDS Center, New York, NY
Since the inception of supportive housing programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH/A), Harlem United has been at the forefront of addressing health disparities by recognizing the need for stable housing and ongoing healthcare. Homeless and unstably housed PLWHA are less likely to receive appropriate health care and experience higher rates of opportunistic infection. For PLWHA entering transitional housing, connection to medical care is essential to stabilize health and reduce viral loads. Within our programs, individuals are provided with a full continuum of medical, mental health and social support services to stabilize health and increase self sufficiency. The facilitator will discuss a triangulation of technical expertise in (Clinical Supervision, Data-driven Administration, and Evaluation) to reshape services to facilitate greater housing stability, reduced risk and improved access to care. Evaluation of our services has shown consistent housing stability, increased self-sufficiency and connection to medical care among previously homeless clients residing in our transitional housing programs. Examples of program management strategies used to reshape traditional supportive case management services include motivational interviewing, an evidence-based client-centered approach shown to facilitate behavior change among non-adherent clients. Our workshop describes how supportive housing services and tailored management strategies can provide best practices towards improving health outcomes for PLWHA with histories of chronic homelessness.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Chronic disease management and prevention
Epidemiology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Discuss a triangulation of technical expertise in (Clinical Supervision, Data-driven Administration, and Program Evaluation) to reshape client services to facilitate greater housing stability, reduced risk and improved access to care.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Kevin Rente: Kevin Rente, is a Director of Evaluation and Managing Director of HUD Supportive Housing Contracts at Harlem United’s. He’s been at Harlem United since 2007 working on a number of supportive housing and HIV testing and prevention initiatives. Prior to joining Harlem United, he contributed to a number of research projects investigating risk behavior among youth in New York City. His area of specialization is Urban Sociology, with a primary focus on ethnographic research methods. He has taught Urban Sociology at Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, NJ. Harlem United: Within our supportive housing programs, individuals are provided with a full continuum of medical, mental health and social support services to stabilize health and increase self sufficiency. A great deal of this initial work takes place within our transitional housing programs, typically an intermediate level of housing support that falls between emergency crisis and permanent housing. The facilitator will discuss a triangulation of technical expertise in (Clinical Supervision, Data-driven Administration, and Program Evaluation) to reshape client services to facilitate greater housing stability, reduced risk and improved access to care.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Housing, Homelessness, & HIV/AIDS
See more of: HIV/AIDS