COMMUNICATIONS

Committee Coverage.

In 2001, David left his home country of Zimbabwe for New York City. Upon his arrival, he struggled with a bout of flu-like symptoms. David sought care from a doctor when his symptoms worsened, a doctor who later explained to David that he tested positive for HIV.

The diagnosis answered his questions about his flu-like symptoms, and it brought new worries and sleepless nights. David had buried friends and family in Zimbabwe who died from AIDS. The diagnosis also brought new questions ⁠— not only about treatment for HIV, but also about housing, clothing, and food security. Homeless as a newcomer from Zimbabwe in New York City, David asked the doctor for help finding shelter. She supported him, sharing that though it was her role to provide clinical care and treatment for his HIV infection, she could refer David to African Services Committee (ASC).

At ASC, David accessed housing services for people living with HIV. He immediately secured temporary housing in a shelter, eventually moving into studio apartments in Brooklyn and the Bronx, where he has lived since those days in 2001.

”Here, we are family,” said David. “It’s our home.”

ASC’s Housing Placement Assistance Program helps clients to secure housing. The team also arranges housing-related services for thousands of clients affected by chronic illness — people who may suffer from a loss of income because they are too sick to work, face stigma and discrimination, and may not have the tools to navigate housing systems in New York City.

The agency’s Housing Placement Program enables clients to secure the sustainable housing they need to promote health and stability for themselves and their families. Staffed by a multilingual, experienced team, ASC provides emergency, permanent housing placement; short-term rental assistance; ongoing rental assistance; and support for utilities. The housing team also works in close collaboration with programs across the agency to evaluate and assist eligible clients in applying for long-term housing benefits, such as HRA, STRAP, and RAP. To support clients in maintaining their housing, ASC conducts workshops on financial planning, home safety, and tenants rights.

“Here, we are family,” said David. “It’s our home.”

In addition to accessing housing services at ASC, David accepted clothes, picked up groceries in the food pantry, and joined support groups for people living with HIV. In the support groups, he learned how to stay adherent to his antiretroviral therapy and found a community of immigrants, refugees, and asylees from across the African Diaspora. Years after discovering his HIV status, when he was diagnosed with cancer, he depended on those same services. ASC’s peer navigators drove him to and from his chemotherapy appointments and coordinated his treatment plan with doctors.

Today, he is cancer free.

“If I see people, I tell them to go to African Services Committee,” said David. “They can help because I was helped.”

Details of the client are changed in order to protect their identity.

Your gift supports ASC's health, housing, legal, social welfare, education, nutrition, and advocacy services for immigrants, refugees, and asylees from across the African Diaspora.