Network Helps Those With AIDS
By Kenneth Knight, Tampa Tribune, Fla.
Mar. 12–Updated: 03/10/2008 06:12 pm
TEMPLE TERRACE — All she wanted was a chance at life. All she needed was a helping hand.
The 34-year-old woman got both with the help of workers and volunteers at the Tampa Bay AIDS Network, a not-for-profit agency on North 56th Street that supports and assists about 1,000 Hillsborough County residents living with HIV or AIDS.
A year and a half ago, the agency, also known as TBAN, offered “Lisa” help when it appeared no one else would. She asked that her real name not be published to protect her son’s identity and spare her the stigma associated with the disease.
Somewhere along the way, she acquired HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. She got over her anger.
Fresh out of jail, Lisa wanted a better life for her son. She was determined never to go back behind bars. She moved to Tampa from Miami for a change of pace. At the time, South Florida offered too many temptations.
Lisa credits TBAN and a federally funded program for HIV-positive criminal offenders with giving her the support and security she needed to set her life on a new course. The federal assistance program helps pay her rent and offers job training for up to two years, as well as allows TBAN to provide counseling, food vouchers, public bus passes and other social services.
Lisa now has a job, attends nursing school, has a place to live and is engaged to be married. She enjoys her independence.
“It’s the first time I have had a bank account,” she said with a smile.
Lisa is about to graduate from the federally funded program at TBAN and embark on her own.
Her story represents the success of the housing program and those who need it most, said Patrick Mercier, former program director at the Tampa Bay AIDS Network. He recently left the agency for a new job at Metropolitan Charities.
“They have got a past that precludes them from finding housing,” Mercier said. “We have this safety net for these folks so they can move forward with their lives.”
The Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS program, also known as HOPWA, awarded Gulf Coast Community Care a $1.3 million grant in 2006 to offer housing assistance to criminal offenders who may face the additional obstacle of finding a place to stay because of their HIV status.
Gulf Coast Community Care is part of Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, a 50-program not-for-profit agency based in Clearwater with satellite offices in Pasco and Hillsborough counties, including TBAN at 7402 N. 56th St., Building 100, Suite 101.
TBAN was contracted to serve up to 25 clients, but program officials say they had enough money to extend services to about 15 more.
The program is not a free ride, said Calvin Smith, housing team leader at the Tampa Bay AIDS Network. Clients must contribute up to 30 percent of their income to rent.
“Over half of the clients are on their way to graduation,” he added.
“It gives you independence and makes you want to go out and get a job,” Lisa said.
Jail was her wakeup call. Lisa said she spent almost a year behind bars for throwing a rock at an occupied car.
“It made me want to get my life straight,” she said.
A single mom raising a 5-year-old son, Lisa plans to marry and return to South Florida soon. She will earn an associate’s degree in radiology in four months and then begin work on a bachelor’s degree.
The program also has been a godsend for Larry Vaughn, 54, whose criminal history involves theft charges.
A serious car accident and stroke in 1991 followed by drug addiction sent him swirling to near suicide, he said.
He credits TBAN and the assistance program with inspiring him to find a job. He sells newspapers at major intersections across the county on Sundays. He also has an adviser for support.
Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 865-4842 or kknight@tampatrib.com.
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