Toward a Housing and HIV Strategy for the Greater Toronto Area

5 January 2010 No Comment

HIV is a serious health problem in Ontario. HIV continues to be a life threatening illness with no cure. An estimated 24,891 Ontarians are currently infected with HIV, 8,799 have died, and over 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Historically, the populations most at risk of HIV across the province have been:

Men who have sex with men
People who share contaminated equipment to inject drugs
People from countries in Africa and the Caribbean where HIV is widespread
Aboriginal people

HIV at a Glance in the GTA

Between 2003 and 2006, about 3,100 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Over half of these new infections were in gay men, about a quarter were in people from countries where HIV is wide- spread, and about 5% were in people who inject drugs. Many people with HIV in the GTA have complex health and social needs – including the need for affordable, appropriate housing.

The Income and Housing Gap

When data gathered through Positive Spaces, Healthy Places – a longitudinal study of 600 people with HIV across Ontario – is compared with census data, the income and housing gap between people living with HIV and the general population in the GTA is clear.

Almost 8 out of 10 people living with HIV rely on money they receive from government pro- grams as their main source of income compared to the general population for whom government programs account for a small proportion (7% to 11%) of their income. People with HIV in the GTA are twice as likely to spend more than 30% of their income on housing (in fact 16% spend more than 50% of their income on housing). More than 1 of every 2 people living with HIV in the GTA has difficulty buying food or clothing – compared to around 1 in 10 in the general population.

The Education, Employment and Age Gap

People with HIV are half as likely as the general population in the GTA to have a post secondary degree.
3 of 4 people with HIV are unemployed – usually due to their illness – compared to about 1 out of every 20 people in the general population.
People with HIV in the GTA tend to be younger than the general population. About 64% are between the ages of 20 and 44. Because of their age, they often do not have savings, housing stability or other resources to manage a long illness.

The Bigger Picture

People living with HIV in the GTA are trying to manage a life-threatening illness with lower incomes and less education, and without the employment opportunities their neighbours enjoy. They are generally satisfied with the health and social services they receive, but 4 of every 10 report needing more psychological services and support, and 3 of 10 believe they would benefit from more psychiatric services.

Only 15% of people living with HIV in the GTA are housed with support services – despite the fact that supportive housing is key to helping people maintain both their housing and their health. A significant proportion of people living with HIV in the GTA (31%) have experienced discrimination in finding housing and almost 1 in 4 has moved three times or more in the last year, which has an extremely negative effect on both physical and mental health.