ny daily news op/ed

There was an interesting opinion piece in Sunday's Daily News. Errol Louis focused his discussion on the fact that HIV infected New Yorkers who receive housing assistance through the city's HIV/AIDS Service Administration often have to put large chunks of their income to rent; he quotes figures as high as 56, 59, and 70%. Since the percentage is so high, Louis claims, evictions are common. Louis suggests that Albany simply cap that figure at 30% of income.

Louis rightly points out that keeping people with HIV/AIDS in stable housing situations is beneficial to public health. He states that people who are homeless are less likely to take their HIV medications as prescribed than those in stable housing, and points out such people are can wind up in emergency rooms at taxpayer's expense. He also claims that "studies show they [presumably HIV positive people, possibly not] are more likely to turn to prostitution", which would pose an obvious public health risk. That said, I have never heard of such a study. That sentence also does not make clear to whom HIV positive people are being compared by these studies, or even who exactly "they" are. Does he mean HIV positive people generally, or just HIV positive people with nowhere to live? Hmmm...

Finally, there is one paragraph in the column I find a little worrying. With regards to the eviction of HIV positive people, Louis writes:

That's an expensive and risky proposition for our city. People with AIDS or advanced HIV who get evicted often wind up living on the streets or sharing bathrooms with noninfected neighbors in homeless shelters, single-room occupancy buildings and welfare hotels.

I am, perhaps, reading this ungenerously, but is he implying that it is "risky" for an uninfected person to live on the streets/share a bathroom/occupy the same room with an infected person? It seems that he is, which is disturbing. HIV can only be spread via infected needles or sex. Period.