HIV Law Project
It is far too easy for a low-income person living with HIV or AIDS to fall into homelessness when they don’t have the support they need to fight housing discrimination, access public benefits, and maintain safe and affordable housing.
The HIV Law Project at Inner City Law Center provides legal resources to help people living with HIV or AIDS stay in their homes, thereby improving their quality of life and long-term health outcomes.
While it is not a requirement for service, the majority of our clients who receive legal assistance through our HIV/AIDS program identify as LGBTQ+. Transgender clients who have been subjected to housing discrimination are encouraged to contact us for help and legal assistance.
HIV Legal Needs Assessment
Inner City Law Center engaged Laurie Aronoff from the LA County Bar and Ayako Miyashita Ochoa from UCLA to conduct a legal needs assessment of people living with HIV. This county-wide assessment included a community advisory committee, focus groups, surveys, and interviews to guide their findings and recommendations. Read the report here.
Get Help
Are you HIV positive or living with AIDS and need legal assistance with a rental housing or public benefits issue?
Each year, Inner City Law Center secures more than $200,000 in public benefits for clients living with HIV or AIDS.
The Difference between Life and Death
In Los Angeles County, more than 60,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS. Even under the best of circumstances, it can be difficult to follow a treatment regimen. But poverty and homelessness make it nearly impossible. This added stress of housing insecurity worsens the physical and psychological effects associated with HIV and AIDS, and unhealthy and unstable living conditions further contribute to a weakened immune system. As a result, people can become very sick, resistant to medication, and may even die.
Inner City Law Center’s clients benefit by having advocates guide them through stressful legal situations. We help our clients to secure stable housing and maximize their income through benefits, dramatically improving their ability to manage their health and livelihood.
Partner Organizations
ICLC’s HIV Law Project partners with the City of Los Angeles’ Housing Opportunity for Persons Living with HIV or AIDS (HOPWA) and the County of Los Angeles’ Ryan White HIV/AIDS program to provide legal representation to clients and their families, help them maintain stable housing, and secure public benefits. We also host trainings for nonprofit organizations on housing, benefits, and other issues that impact people living with HIV/AIDS.