On October 21, 2014, CBAM co-sponsored a dynamic conference entitled: “The Housing Determinant: Integrating Housing into the Continuum of HIV Services”. The purpose of this one-day conference was to share the latest research on the impact of a person’s housing status on their HIV outcomes, to discuss real-world models for integrating housing into HIV prevention and care, to foster collaborations among various stakeholders, and to develop action strategies to inform local policy, community planning, and research directions.
Held at UCLA’s Covel Commons, the all-day conference featured distinguished speakers, most notably Douglas Brooks, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy at the White House. The lead advisor to President Obama on domestic HIV/AIDS and overseer of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, Mr. Brooks gave an inspiring keynote speech demonstrating the overall goals of the Obama administration in reducing HIV prevalence and looking ahead to continuing these initiatives, even after President Obama’s term ends.
Other notable speakers included:
-Greg Millett, MPH, Vice President and Director of Public Policy, amfAR
-Jennifer Ho, Senior Advisor on Housing and Services in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development
-Elise Riley, Associate Professor at the University of California San Francisco
-Raphael Bostic, PhD, Professor and Judith and John Bedrosian Chair in Governance and the Public Enterprise at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
and many others.
The event preceded the Center for AIDS Research’s national scientific meeting and was co-sponsored by CHIPTS, National AIDS Housing Coalition, UCLA AIDS Institute, Friends Research Institute, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Commission on HIV, Pacific AIDS Education & Training Center, and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Stay tuned for follow-up on this important conference including videos, presentation slides, and action strategy summaries.