GMHC/APLA/SFAF

108

GMHCAPLA SFAF AIDS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS

Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), 129 West 20th Street, New York, New York 10011, phone: (212) 807-7035, was the world's irst AIDS organization. Founded in 1981 by Larry Kramer (see card 97) and a group of gay men, it provides services to people with AIDS regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation.

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), 6721 Romaine Street, Los Angeles, California 90038, phone: (213) 962-1600, was founded by volunteers in 1982 and offers services similar to those of GMHC.

San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 660, San Francisco, California 94102, phone: (415) 864-5855, was also founded in 1982; it too serves men, women, and children. These three, the oldest and largest organizations giving support to persons with AIDS, vary somewhat in the nature of the client services they provide (food, shelter, transportation, medical Counseling, legal assistance), but all routinely give referrals to other ocal community programs that provide services they cannot. All hree have outreach programs to educate the public to prevent urther transmission of HIV. They produce ads, billboards, free brochures, and workshops that have helped to reduce the kind of high-risk behavior that leads to the spread of AIDS and they naintain hotlines to answer questions about AIDS (see card 109).

GMHC, APLA, and SFAF also operate at the public policy evel to protect the human rights of all those affected by HIV lisease and to encourage favorable legislation on HIV-related natters. Tax-exempt, they depend greatly on donations and special events for funds and on volunteers for daily help.

Next Card 109: AIDS HOTLINE NUMBERS for 25 Major U.S. Cities

AIDS AWARENESS: PEOPLE WITH AIDS