Living With HIV

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How Can ACON Housing Help?

For some people in our community, a change in circumstances may mean having to look for more affordable housing, and at a time of personal stress. Finding affordable housing near to services you need or your support networks can be a real challenge. Through our Housing Project, we help people identify their options and navigate the process of finding appropriate, affordable housing through public and community housing programs.

Gimme shelter

If you need help with housing and you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or living with HIV, then we can help you navigate the maze of social housing options including:

Public housing (i.e. Department of Housing, Special Assistance Subsidy (Special)
Community housing
Crisis accommodation services

We give priority to helping people living with HIV/AIDS who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness. Facing homelessness can be a frightening prospect – especially in the face of declining or changing health. We can help support your application for priority housing, talk through the available options, and provide short term accommodation for people in housing crisis.

Helping you find affordable housing

There are many reasons which contribute to someone becoming homeless, or being at risk of homelessness. Our experience suggests that people who have recently got an HIV diagnosis may have to make dramatic changes to their lives like moving to cheaper homes and public or community housing. A range of other things which put people at risk of homelessness include living below the poverty line and escaping domestic violence or abusive family relationships. People who are vulnerable to homelessness might be those living with a mental health issue or cognitive impairment. We aim to help prevent the causes of homelessness – we will always talk with you about issues you feel led to your being at risk. We’ll try to help you find services that can help you with those issues too.

The kinds of help you’ll receive include:

Support to find accommodation if you're homeless
Support to find respite care for people with HIV/AIDS
Help in applying for Priority Assistance with the Department of Housing
Help in applying for Community Housing
Short term accommodation for GLBT and HIV+ people at risk of homelessness
Finding an advocate if you're being abused by neighbours because you' GLBT or HIV+
Helping you find a financial counsellor if you're having problems managing money
Finding a support person to go with you to hearings and tribunals
Referral to other support services