Why are you moving your service area to Midtown Houston?

1. Allies in Hope will offer services in Midtown Houston at 2328 Fannin to be closest to the communities most vulnerable to being out of care and to be close to other services that benefit them. 2. Our new location has a minimum of eight healthcare providers within three miles and is close to the light rail, Metro stops and the Greyhound bus station. 3. This location will open in May 2023. 4. A small group of administrative personnel will remain at our current location 6260 Westpark. Other administrative personnel will office at 2302 Fannin, right next to 2328. 5. We will refer to the additional location as “Midtown.” The Southwest location will continue to be referred to as “Westpark.” 6. Allies in Hope will still provide HIV/STI testing services and Stone Soup food services at the Westpark location.

Will you change the mission or programs also?

1. No, the mission of Allies in Hope remains the same – to end the HIV epidemic in the greater Houston area. 2. Our vision is a community where HIV is stigma-free and rare, and everyone has equitable access to care. 3. All the programs and services we have offered under the former name will continue to be offered under our new name from our new location: HIV/STI testing; pre-and post-test counseling and referrals, PrEP, rapid-start treatment; housing; food pantry; and a summer camp for children living with HIV. 4. We will provide HIV/STI testing regardless of insurance status and connect clients to services based on the results of testing.

Will you begin to charge fees for services for people without insurance?

Allies in Hope will only charge fees for our services if required by federal regulation, such as a tenant’s share of the rent in our housing programs based on their documented income. Over half of our PrEP patients are uninsured, and we will continue to serve them.

Which services will be offered at each location?

Westpark Westpark Stone Soup Food Pantry HIV/STI testing Advancement team Finance team Operations/HR/IT/Compliance teams Midtown Clinic and Prevention HIV and STI testing PrEP Rapid-start treatment Housing Intake Case management Midtown Stone Soup Food Pantry Transportation assistance Linkage to care Administrative offices

Get in touch

Main

713-623-6796

info@AIHHouston.org

Prevention Phone

832-234-7737

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6,000 served in 2022 through housing, prevention, treatment, and supportive services programs for youth, families, prison inmates, and those impacted by HIV/AIDS in the community

1,430 tested for HIV and received PrEP education

186 in virtual youth camp

343 in Allies in Hope-run affordable housing facilities in 2022

347 served through Stone Soup Food Pantry in 2022

98% participation rate from of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system in Wall Talk which provides HIV, STIs and sexual violence education for currently incarcerated individuals

Ending the HIV Epidemic in Houston

For the past two years, Allies in Hope worked through a strategic planning process to realign everything we do around the national plan to end the HIV epidemic. We will achieve the goal to end the HIV epidemic in greater Houston through four strategic pillars.

Diagnose

Diagnose all persons living with HIV as quickly as possible through outreach, education, and prevention programs in the community and inside Texas prisons. We also diagnose persons living with HIV through testing in our office, at community events, online, and at home.

Treat

Treat persons living with HIV rapidly and effectively to reach sustained viral suppression. Allies in Hope understand the impact of key drivers that impact health outcomes - housing and food security, income and insurance, mental health and wellness, equitable access and patient navigation, community partnerships, and overcoming stigma and fear. We offer services to impact each of these drivers to benefit our clients.

Prevent

Prevent new HIV transmissions through proven methods

Allies in Hope endorses the message of U=U or Undetectable Equals Untransmittable. This refers to a person living with HIV who accesses and remains in treatment and achieves sustained viral suppression and will be unable to transfer HIV through sex.

PrEP is critical to helping people living with HIV lead healthy lives and preventing new HIV cases. Allies in Hope offers PrEP in-office, online through Mistr, and at home through mail order to ensure this medication is available to all who need it.

Condom distribution program

Allies in Hope partners with the Houston Harm Reduction Alliance in collaborative outreach and advocacy for effective syringe service programs to reduce the risk of HIV transfer among persons who inject drugs.

Respond

Respond quickly to potential HIV outbreaks with necessary prevention and treatment services for people who need them. Allies in Hope works closely with community leaders to identify areas of our communities that need additional presence, outreach, information, and testing.

Our goal is to ensure access to needed prevention and care services for all individuals vulnerable to HIV.

Allies in Hope (formerly AIDS Foundation Houston) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that was the first AIDS Service Organization in Texas and remains a national leader in HIV/STI programming.

With a vision of creating a community where HIV is stigma-free and rare, and people have equitable access to care, Allies in Hope works towards the mission of ending the HIV epidemic in the Houston area.

Allies in Hope services include prevention education, PrEP Care, nPEP, HIV Testing and Rapid Start Treatment, STI Testing and Treatment, outreach in Texas prisons, supportive housing, food assistance, a summer camp for children, and supportive services to all persons affected by or at risk for HIV.

To support our strategic focus on ending the HIV epidemic in Houston, Allies in Hope has added an additional location in Midtown. This location opened in 2023 and now serves as our primary office. To learn more about the history of Allies in Hope, please visit our online University of Houston archive located here.

1981

First diagnosis of AIDS in Houston

1982

AIDS Foundation Houston was founded as the first AIDS Service Organization in Texas.

1983

AIDS Foundation Houston launches a hotline and responds to 2,500 callers a year.

1984

AIDS Foundation Houston launches first residential housing program.

1985

AFH launches Stone Soup food bank.

1987

AlDS activist Cleve Jones creates the first panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

1990

Ryan White dies of AIDS-related illness at the age of 18 and leads to the Ryan White CARE Act.

1995

The National Association of People With AIDS launches the first National HIV Testing Day.

1996

AIDS Foundation Houston launches the first year of Camp Hope.

2002

The FDA approves the first rapid HIV diagnostic test kit for use in the U.S.

2012

The FDA approves pre-exposure prophylaxis ( PrE P} for ind ivid ua Is who do not have HIV, but who are vulnerable for HIV acquisition.

2020

AFH goes virtual and continues its partnership with HeyMistr for at-home testing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2023

AIDS Foundation Houston officially rebrands as Allies in Hope.

Our Name

AIDS Foundation Houston changed its name to Allies in Hope in 2023 to recognize that AIDS is no longer an inevitable outcome of living with HIV. “AIDS” has a history as a term associated with a stigma that prevents people from seeking care for HIV. We want to eliminate all possible barriers to care and indicate with our name that all are welcome in our clinics and programs.

Allies is a powerful image of solidarity, especially solidarity with persons vulnerable to or living with HIV who have been traumatized by fear, stigma, racism, marginalization, “minoritization” and discrimination.

Strong allyship fosters justice. We leverage a long history and deep roots with the community and governmental allies in achieving our mission and realizing our vision.

Our staff, volunteers, community partners and donors are allies — they stand with and behind persons vulnerable to and living with HIV, regardless of their presenting needs.

In is the connector to what is fueling the action of Allies. In is inclusive.

We are in solidarity in hope; together in hope.

Hope is a firm, unshakable belief in what is yet to be realized. Hope is the impetus that inspires action, innovation, and strategic change.

Hope has been the enduring legacy of the HIV epidemic from its inception — hope for better treatments, hope for a vaccine, hope for a cure, hope for the end of stigma, discrimination, and marginalization experienced by those vulnerable to and living with HIV. We have always been and will continue to be a source of hope in the Houston area.