Providing transitional housing for people living with HIV
Grace House is the largest nonprofit housing provider in Mississippi providing transitional housing and assistance for people living with HIV, poverty, chemical dependency, or housing insecurities. Grace House also has several transitional homes in the Belhaven area for women with substance abuse problems. Grace House pays rent for about 480 people in the metro Jackson area who are living with HIV.
“When people are homeless, they are less likely to take their HIV medication. They are less likely to be able to secure employment, because they don’t have an address to be able to have a job. More importantly, they can’t vote. If you’re on medication and become undetectable then you will not transmit HIV. That is the main focus, to get people on their antivirals and become undetectable to stop the spread of HIV, ” said Jason McCarty, the Chair of Capital City Pride and a board member of Grace House.
The grant money from the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi will be used to put on Capital City Pride, a two-day Pride celebration, October 16-17, 2020, with a healthcare component, benefiting their 2020 Benefactor: Grace House. Healthcare units on site will test people for HIV, and problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
Capital City Pride is made up by a 12 person Steering Committee. Its Committee Members represent all sexual orientations and are a diverse group of people of different races and ages. The event plans to have a different benefactor every year.
Creating Hope for People with HIV
Jackson is number four in the country for HIV diagnoses, and the highest rate of diagnoses for HIV is among gay Black men.
“This is a great opportunity to knit our community together. This particular year, Capital City Pride is focusing on the aspect of HIV involvement and how it’s disproportionate in our community,” said McCarty.
Grace House will also be putting together a 30 second video that will go over HIV stigma in the community, showing the video at Capital City Pride and via social media.
“HIV is preventable, but yet in 2020, we’re still leading in diagnoses. This is an amazing opportunity for us to shine a light on something that doesn’t feel comfortable,” said McCarty.
McCarty also hopes to highlight the fact that HIV can be stopped from spreading, either by taking their medicine and becoming undetectable or by using PREP, a medication that someone can take daily to stop the spread.
“What this is doing is really bringing a spotlight back to show that gay people matter. LGBTQ people matter. That they do have a voice. They have a powerful voice. They are a voting bloc. They are people who care and who pay taxes and deserve the same respect that everyone else deserves. Also, people can be diagnosed with HIV today and not die from it anymore. How powerful is that? I just don’t think that we talk about it enough,” said McCarty.
“Well-being means that there is no discrimination. It means that they can get proper housing and not be scared of someone finding out their status or that they are LGBTQ. It means that people can live freely in this state and be happy, they can hold hands and walk in public and be proud of who they are. And more importantly, they can share their story,” said McCarty.
To learn more about Grace House, visit their website. To learn more about Capital City Pride, visit their website, Facebook, or Instagram.