Year two of
Leaders'
Letter
Reflecting on 2023 with AFC leaders and staff, a consensus emerged that the investments we have made in people, partnerships, and equity initiatives are bearing fruit. In year two of our Unifying for Impact strategic plan, we deepened connections and progressed toward our organizational goals of ending the HIV epidemic and ending homelessness. This was also the second year of our Race Equity Action Plan, and AFC reached and exceeded goals in some key areas of the plan. We are achieving new heights of viral suppression rates with our clients connected to care and have outpaced citywide and statewide trends in that area. This is a clear indication that our programs are working and we are making progress. However, we must continue to grow, engage, and advocate to end the HIV epidemic for all Illinoisans by 2030. We are housing more people than ever before, fighting alongside our partners to end homelessness in Chicago and beyond. Our community of staff, clients, partners, and supporters is the source of our strength and success. We continue to grow together to cultivate justice and change.
With gratitude,
John Peller,
President and CEO
President and CEO
Geoffrey Brown,
Board Chair
Board Chair
Strategic Priorities
Ending
the HIV
Epidemic
Strategic Plan Priority 1
AFC is working toward the day when there will be zero new cases of HIV, and where people living with HIV can thrive. To this end, AFC provides critical services to people in Chicagoland, and is leading organizations statewide to align with Getting to Zero Illinois, our plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
0
AFC served 8,023 people living with HIV through case management, housing, emergency financial assistance, and food support. AFC connects people to housing, medical care, transportation, and behavioral health support – and much more. We are grateful to our more than 40 Ryan White partners, who play a critical role in helping to achieve our mission each year.
0
AFC provided individualized housing and care case management to 6,760 clients, including 6,492 clients who specifically received HIV care case management to improve health outcomes.
0
%
Virally Suppressed
85.3% of AFC clients in the Ryan White Case Management program achieved viral suppression last year. Case management at AFC continues to help clients living with HIV to meet their health needs. Viral suppression supports individual health as well as the health of our community. Someone who is virally suppressed has taken medication regularly until they have undetectable viral levels, and this means they are generally healthier and receiving the medical care they need. Furthermore, a person who is virally suppressed cannot transmit HIV to others. This is called U=U, or undetectable=untransmittable.
Home visits through Ryan White services
805 clients received home or community visits through our Ryan White program. Our case managers across all programs (housing, corrections, and Ryan White) visit clients at their homes, providing services directly or offering referrals to other essential services. Clients welcome home visits, especially those who are aging and face barriers like transportation, isolation, and safety concerns. Most importantly, home visits allow case managers to assess clients’ living conditions and their ability to perform routine life skills. These observations help connect people who need it to a higher level of support.
The HIV Resource HUB
The HIV Resource HUB, a partnership between AFC and the Center on Halsted, completed its third year of service to the Chicago community. A promotional campaign was launched on CTA buses and trains to promote its offerings, which include information about and direct connections to HIV services for people living with and vulnerable to HIV. Services consist of HIV testing, PrEP support, mental health counseling, medical transportation, primary care, housing navigation, emergency rental financial assistance and more.
1-844-HUB-4040
$254,812
The HIV Resource HUB dispensed a total of $254,812 in emergency eviction prevention payments, emergency utility payments, and other financial assistance for 172 individuals.
4,027
The HIV Resource Hub fielded 4,027 calls, more than 2.5x the number of calls as compared to the previous year.
Getting to Zero Illinois
AFC and its partners including CDPH, IDPH, and Northwestern University, collaborated to update the GTZ-IL dashboard, a free data tool that displays the state’s progress to get to zero by 2030.
GTZ-IL awarded $200,000 in grants in October 2023 to nine organizations, including two new grantees located in Carbondale and the Quad Cities.
Women Evolving Program
Corrections Case Management
AFC served 41 people through the Women Evolving program, and 181 people through the Ryan White Corrections Case Management program, as part of our work to improve connections to healthcare, housing, and other resources for people living with HIV and AIDS in reentry from jail or prison.
Serving Black Trans Women
Of Women Evolving’s 41 participants, 25 identified as transgender and Black or Black and another race.
Read more on AFC’s blog about how we’re ending the HIV epidemic
New Medical Case Manager Jose Estrada brings empathy and strength to their clients and community
By Tyline Burgess
Uniting
to End
Homelessness
Strategic Plan Priority 2
Housing is healthcare. There is no more foundational intervention we can make in prevention and treatment for HIV than ensuring stable housing. Ending homelessness is critical to ending the HIV epidemic. As a people-first organization, AFC partners with communities and health care systems to fight for all Chicagoans to have access to safe and affordable housing.
0
1,982 people had a place to call home due to AFC housing programs.
AFC is grateful to our 20+ housing partners for their tireless work to end homelessness.
0
756 individuals received housing alongside additional intensive support services, helping them to thrive and find stability in all areas of their lives, not just housing.
0
%
Virally Suppressed
75% of clients in AFC’s housing programs are virally suppressed. Viral suppression contributes to improved overall health for individuals, and also improves the health of our communities, as people who are virally suppressed cannot pass HIV to others.
$941,607
Emergency eviction prevention
Over $941,607 was distributed to 577 households through 973 payments to help people remain in their homes and keep the lights on.
75
Hiv-Dedicated housing units
75 new HIV-dedicated housing units were added in 2023.
In order to increase available housing units for people living with HIV and experiencing homelessness, AFC and our partners advocated for increases in funding at the local, state and federal levels. At the state level, the state budget included $200 million in new state funding to implement Governor Pritzker’s Home Illinois Program, an initiative to prevent and end homelessness in Illinois.
Read more on AFC’s blog about how we’re ending homelessness
Prioritizing
Racial
Equity
Strategic Plan Priority 3
AFC prioritizes the work of racial equity to dismantle systems of oppression, racism and white supremacy in support of our common humanity. AFC does this by fostering an intentional organizational culture of inclusion and belonging for community, clients, staff and board members.
Race Equity Action Plan
AFC is making progress in the second year of our plan. In some areas, we are exceeding our stated goals, and in others, we are behind. We did not undertake this work thinking it would be easy, and we understand that it will take sustained, hard work to establish a more equitable AFC.
Major increases in contracts with Black-led organizations
Last year, our Race Equity Action Plan set an ambitious goal of increasing funds allocated to Black-led organizations by 10%. We were able to exceed that goal.
AFC increased the amount of funds allocated through contracts to Black-led organizations by 13%, to $2.5 million. Now, 23% of all AFC funds going to community partners go to Black-led organizations.
Connection to Care Learning Collaborative (CCLC)
$510,000
The CCLC awarded $510,000 in funds to 6 grantee clinics, and one peer coaching center.
Learning Circle Collaborative (LCC)
The LCC is a capacity-building and technical assistance program for Black-led social service providers and organizations to improve agency infrastructure. Each recipient receives a grant. Grantees are invited to participate in 6 months direct capacity building and technical assistance (at the value of $15,000).
LCC Fundraiser
AFC raised about $10,000 and made introductions to LCC agencies leaders and potential major donors at its annual LCC fundraiser, which was hosted in Bronzeville by an AFC Board member. All proceeds raised at the event go directly to the LCC Agencies.
It’s not hierarchical... We are all working and growing together.”
Furthering Our Reach
For the last 2 years, AFC has provided training on racial equity to all staff and Board members through our learning program, Furthering Our Reach. Designed in collaboration with staff to ensure the organization has the knowledge and skills to expand its ability to make a positive impact, Furthering Our Reach provides training on core concepts in racial equity, skills for conflict resolution, and methods for interrupting implicit bias and microaggressions.
Equitable Compensation
AFC established a minimum wage of $50,000 for its staff, in addition to significant investment in 2022, which decreased staff turnover significantly.
Board and Staff Race Equity Action Plan Committee
The Board and Staff Race Equity Action Plan Committee met regularly to ensure AFC was on track to embed race equity in all aspects of its work.
AFC Board Demographics
Demographics based on 30 board members.
Race and Ethnicity
No Data Found
- 67% of board members identified as Persons of Color
- 20% of board members identified as Hispanic/Latino/a/x/e
AFC Staff Demographics
Demographics based on 168 AFC full and part time staff.
Gender Identity
No Data Found
Race and Ethnicity
No Data Found
LGBTQ Identity
No Data Found
Read more on AFC’s blog about how we’re prioritizing racial equity
Teaming Up
for Justice
& Change
Strategic Plan Priority 4
AFC teams up for justice and change by mobilizing and developing communities of supporters and allies to raise up and sustain AFC’s mission-driven work.
Policy, Advocacy, and Engagement
Springfield Advocacy Day
AFC’s 2023 Springfield Advocacy Day engaged 61 in-person participants and generated 191 emails to legislators.
5 bills signed into law
AFC supported seven bills introduced in Illinois’ spring session and saw five signed into law by the governor.
Federal HIV Funding
AFC and partners successfully lobbied Congress to defend against elimination of funding for the federal Housing Opportunities for persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program.
Illinois Medicaid Data
AFC advocated with state agencies to facilitate data sharing between Medicaid health plans and public health entities to improve health outcomes for Medicaid recipients living with HIV.
Storytelling for Change
AFC hosted two storytelling trainings and showcases to empower self-advocates to describe the impact of public policy on their lives.
$2 MILLION IN NEW STATE FUNDING FOR PREP ACCESS
AFC advocates and partners secured $2M in new state funding for grants and administrative expenses for the distribution of PrEP medication.
GTZ-IL 2.0 Plan
To update the GTZ-IL plan, AFC and its partners systematically engaged a wide range of community members and key public health entities across the eight HIV Care Regions in IL. These efforts placed special emphasis on inclusion of individuals with lived experience, people living with HIV/AIDS, and priority populations most impacted by HIV. The resulting GTZ-IL 2.0 Plan, forthcoming in 2024, will cover 2024-2027.
Job Resource Fairs
Over 140 Attendees
Partnering with colleges and community-based organizations, AFC staff from the Department of Programs and Special Projects hosted two job resource fairs with over 140 attendees. This effort has increased the pipeline for the HIV workforce by recruiting people with lived experience.
Narcan Newsstands
The Connection to Harm Reduction (C2HR) program, in conjunction with AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) and Center for Housing and Health (CHH), debuted a free Narcan Newsstand located just outside of AFC offices on the southwest corner of Monroe and Wells in the Loop. Narcan is a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. In its first two months of operation, the newsstand provided over 300 Narcan kits to the public.
AIDS Run & Walk
Team to End AIDS
$820,000
AFC and its Community Partners raised more than $820,000 in net funds through more than 2,000 participants and sponsors for AIDS Run & Walk and Team to End AIDS.
$240,000
Total returned to Community Direct community fundraising partners: More than $240,000.
Read more on AFC’s blog about how we’re teaming up for justice and change
Illinois HIV Advocates Call for Increased State Funding to End the HIV Epidemic & Advance Racial Health Equity
