HACC/HIV Liaison Project

A project to improve access to Home and Community Care services for people living with HIV and AIDS.

Since the early 1990s, there have been a number of projects aiming to improve access to community services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The momentum for these came from the Poverty Sucks campaign at that time, and the recognition by AIDS support organisations and some community sector organisations in Eastern Sydney about the levels and impact of poverty in this community. Since then, the Us and Them report, Positive Access training, and the Improving Access pilots have attempted to address these issues through training, sharing resources and building networks between HIV services and communities and the Home and Community Care (HACC) sector.

The goal of the project was

to work with HIV-specific and HACC-funded service providers and with PLWHA communities and organisations to identify and promote opportunities to improve the responsiveness of HACC services to the needs of PLWHA and to enhance access to HACC services by PLWHA.

The one-year project involved

training delivered to HACC services about issues for people living with AIDS
development of a web-based resource to improve information and build networks between HACC and HIV services and HIV communities
promotion of model policies and strategies to support the work of HACC services
working to develop networks and communication between HIV and HACC services in strategic areas such as Sydney, Blue Mountains, Hunter, Illawarra and Northern NSW as well as other parts of NSW as appropriate or possible
acting as a contact and referral point for information

The project was funded by

NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care

Reference group:

AIDS Council of NSW
Bobby Goldsmith Foundation
Community Care Industry Council
Council of Social Service of NSW
FPA Health
National Association of People living with HIV/AIDS
NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care
NSW Health
People living with HIV/AIDS NSW