Media Contact:
Joe Hui
Director of Communications
jhui@aplahealth.org
213.201.1342
3.22.2021
APLA Health and the Alliance for Housing and Healing (AHH) announced today that the organizations have agreed to merge. The two will join forces on July 1, 2021, to improve the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and focus on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles County.
Founded in 1983, AHH is the largest LA County provider of housing, support services and financial assistance for PLWHA and their families. Today, as a leader in the “housing first” model of healthcare, AHH is widely known for promoting housing stability, improving health outcomes and boosting HIV medical compliance. AHH believes that “Health Happens With Housing”.
APLA Health, founded in 1983 to support the urgent needs of people living with and affected by AIDS, is now one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ healthcare organizations serving more than 18,000 patients and clients each year. The agency is a multi-site operation based in Los Angeles County and includes six Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) locations, with the seventh and eighth centers under construction in South Los Angeles, one on the Martin Luther King Jr. medical campus at Charles Drew University and the second in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood.
When fully integrated, APLA Health will consolidate its housing support services under the AHH banner and AHH’s Executive Director, Terry Goddard II, will join APLA Health’s senior management team. “This is the next logical step for our organizations and the community. Our housing expertise combined with APLA Health’s Vance North Necessities of Life food pantry program and other support services will ensure that PLWHA have comprehensive services to directly address their social determinants of health,” said Goddard. “We are thrilled to officially welcome AHH to the APLA Health family,” said Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health. “The combined AHH and APLA Health will serve the housing needs of people living with HIV & AIDS better together than we can separately. In a world where funding is limited, combining our expertise and strategic resources will allow us to build a world-class program that broadly and capably serves the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.”
Completing the merger is subject to customary closing conditions, including securing necessary governmental approvals.
ABOUT APLA HEALTH: APLA Health’s mission is to achieve healthcare equity and promote well-being for the LGBTQ+ and other underserved communities and people living with and affected by HIV. We remain committed to ending the AIDS epidemic in our lifetime. We are a nonprofit, federally qualified health center serving more than 18,000 people annually. We provide 20 different services at 16 locations throughout Los Angeles County, including: medical, dental, behavioral health and HIV specialty care; PrEP counseling and management; health education and HIV prevention; and STD screening and treatment. For people living with HIV, we offer housing support; benefits counseling; home healthcare; and the Vance North Necessities of Life Program food pantries; among several other critically needed services. Additionally, we are leaders in advocating for policy and legislation that positively impacts the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities and conduct community-based research on issues affecting the communities we serve. For more information on APLA Health visit aplahealth.org
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR HOUSING AND HEALING: Alliance for Housing and Healing (AHH) is a vertically integrated nonprofit resulting from the merger of The Serra Project and Aid For AIDS (AFA), whose signature fundraising event “The Best in Drag Show” will be celebrating its 30th year in 2021. Alliance for Housing and Healing believes that that housing is a structural intervention against the spread of HIV/AIDS. AHH is passionate about providing a broad continuum of high-quality care to those living with HIV/AIDS that reinforces residential stability. Whether a group residence with 24/7 care for those who are too ill to live on their own, safe subsidized apartments for individuals and families with a second diagnosis, or emergency financial assistance to pay rent and utility bills for those who are facing eviction and homelessness, Alliance for Housing and Healing is dedicated to improving outcomes for low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles County. For more information on AHH visit alliancehh.org
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APLA Health (formerly AIDS Project Los Angeles) restores dignity and trust within underserved communities by providing world-class LGBTQ+ empowering healthcare, HIV specialty care, food, housing, and other essential support services. Since our founding in 1983, APLA Health has remained steadfast in our commitment to ending the HIV epidemic in our lifetime. We operate eight Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) locations in Los Angeles County, serving more than 19,000 people annually, regardless of ability to pay. Our list of comprehensive services includes LGBTQ+ primary care, dental care, behavioral healthcare, HIV specialty care, and Out Here Sexual Health services (PrEP, STD screening & treatment, DoxyPEP, and PEP). For people with HIV, our wraparound support services include housing assistance through the Alliance for Housing & Healing and nutritional support via the Vance North Necessities of Life Program, the largest food pantry in the United States for people with HIV, distributing over 800,000 meals annually. APLA Health’s annual fundraisers include AIDS Walk LA — the world's first and oldest AIDS Walk — and Best in Drag Show. We are leaders in advocating for policy and legislation at the local, state and Federal levels that positively impact the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities. For more information, visit aplahealth.org.
