141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

277088
Housing access as HIV care and prevention -s/a

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Katherine Quinn, MA , Institute of Health and Society, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Julia Dickson-Gomez, PhD , Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Timothy McAuliffe, PhD , Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine,, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Jill Owczarzak, PhD , Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine,, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Background/Objectives: Growing evidence indicates that housing is a critical and effective strategy to improve public and individual health. This study aims to assess which individual characteristics predict greater access to rental subsidies and supportive housing and begins to explore some of the barriers to housing.

Methods: 392 low-income residents of Hartford and East Hartford, Connecticut were recruited through a targeted sampling plan. We used six logistic regressions to explore multiple housing access outcomes including who receives information on, who applies for, and who is more likely to receive subsidized or supportive housing.

Results: The majority of individuals reported receiving information on housing programs, yet a limited number of those who applied actually received housing. Women and those with mental health or HIV diagnoses were more likely to receive information on either program. Women, and those with a mental illness, were significantly more likely to apply for rental subsidies, yet were no more likely to receive them. Individuals with an HIV-diagnosis had over twice the odds of receiving a rental subsidy (AOR: 2.28, 95%CI: 1.37-3.81) and over six times the odds of receiving supportive housing (AOR: 6.13, 95%CI: 3.54-10.61).

Conclusion: Access to rental subsidies and supportive housing is limited, yet low-income residents with HIV/AIDS are significantly more likely to receive housing. While housing is an essential aspect of AIDS treatment and care, it can also be integral for HIV prevention. Thus, funding should be increased to house individuals who are vulnerable to HIV, including those with substance use and mental illness.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the current policy barriers to housing access for low-income individuals Explain differences in rental subsidy and supportive housing access among low-income residents with different personal characteristics Explain the role of rental subsidies and supportive housing for HIV/AIDS care and prevention

Keywords: Housing, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have experience in supportive housing for people living with and at risk for HIV, and have worked on several research projects focusing on HIV/AIDS or housing.
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.