GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

JULY 22, 1994

Board grants $80K for Quest HIV services; Mitchell stays

by H. Paul Schwitzgebel

Over one hundred Canton-area residents responded to a call for action from Quest Recovery Services and attended the recent meeting of the Stark County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Systems (ADAS) board. At issue was Quest's dissatisfaction with how the ADAS board proposed to cut almost $250,000 from Quest's budget demands.

At an earlier meeting, reported in the last Chronicle, Joe Spinelli, the AIDS risk reduction specialist for Stark and surrounding rural counties, told buddies and some individuals receiving case management that Cathy Mitchell, volunteer coordinator for Quest, had received her two-week notice. Her position would be restructured to focus on Quest's primary mission, alcohol and substance

abuse, according to the information available prior to the ADAS board meeting. Spinelli, whose grant is administered by Quest, said he had been led to believe that the programs of interest to the lesbian, gay and HIV communities that were in jeopardy included HIV testing and counseling, HIV case management services, and support groups.

At the ADAS board meeting, twenty individuals, most from teenage substance abuse prevention programs and from the AfricanAmerican community, were heard during the public commentary period, the last item on the ADAS agenda. Unaware of this standard ADAS board schedule, the crowd became so restless and disruptive that adjournment was nearly called without completion of the agenda.

Examination of the proposed budget indi-

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cates that Quest perhaps confused funding sources in its grant application, or at least failed to clearly explain why certain funding was being requested. For example, Quest wanted $17,000 for HIV testing and counseling, when the funds for that already come through the Ohio Department of Health and the Canton Health Department.

HIV testing is at best only tangential to the ADAS mission and the grant did not specify any new or added services. Traditionally, Stark County agencies receive funds for volunteer coordinators through the local United Way, and it appears that Mitchell's position was so funded until the end of December 1994. ADAS has never in its history funded any self-help support groups, but Quest's budget sought nearly $87,000 for support groups, or about $850 per hour for every hour that Positive Living, the local HIV support group, met last year.

The ADAS board, in approving nearly $1.5 million in grants to Quest, did include just over $80,000 of programming that deals with HIV/AIDS as related to alcohol or substance abuse.

Mitchell's termination notice was withdrawn days later. Tom Wingert, AIDS services coordinator in Canton, is convinced that Quest will fulfill its contracts for HIV testing and counseling and for HIV case

management according to the grant agreements already in place.

One buddy and one recipient of case management services expressed frustration that Quest management may have manipulated the situation to cover for problems in the grant application or in the administrative offices. Key administrators had indicated that they would take significant pay cuts and that there would be a realignment of supervisory positions if ADAS did not approve the entire package.

Some ADAS board members were clearly upset by the presence of such a vocal group of citizens. The meeting had been moved from its usual quarters to accommodate the larger attendance. Questions from the board to speakers indicated that the board felt the speakers did not understand the actual status of the budget or ADAS's prior communicatons with Quest to get clarifica-

tions.

Quest has provided AIDS-related services in Canton, beginning with a subcontract from the Akron Catholic Service League under a Robert Wood Johnson grant for case management services. Its employment and service policies have been non-discriminatory regarding sexual orientation for several years and it has recently sought and added an openly gay person to its board.

Funds available for trip

Chevrei Tikva announces that partial scholarships are available for the October 29-30 interfaith-sponsored trip to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. in addition to Chevrei Tikva, other participating Interfaith groups are Lutherans Concerned, Liberation U.C.C., and Interweave. The tour will provide a special focus on Nazi persecution of gay men and lesbians during the Holocaust.

To date Chevrei Tikva has already sold out its 75 full-fare, reserved spots, and is currently accepting scholarship applications for a limited number of reserved spaces. The complete tour package includes round

trip air fare from Cleveland to Washington; one night at the Sheraton City Center (double occupancy); Sunday morning buffet breakfast and Interfaith service; and a speciallydesigned group visit to the Museum.

Membership in a participating organization is not necessary for scholarship eligibility. Scholarship applications are available from Chevrei Tikva at 932-5551. Completed applications must be received by Chevrei Tikva by August 1. Persons interested in participating who are not eligible for scholarship assistance should contact Chevrei Tikva, as additional full-fare tickets ($199.00) may become available.

Lesbian-Gay Center records bias incidents

The Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center has begun a program to document anti-gay discrimination by employers, landlords, and by businesses such as restaurants. The program will also record racial, gender, and other discrimination by gay bars and other businesses.

"If the lesbian-gay-bisexual community of Cleveland is to become a powerful advocate for equal rights," says executive director Judith Rainbrook, "it can no longer tolerate unequal treatment of its members.' Anyone who feels they have been dis-

criminated against in the areas of housing, employment, recreation, or service, because they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, are encouraged to call the Center's hotline at 861-5454 between 3:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. to report such an incident.

In addition, anyone who feels they have suffered discrimination from within the gaylesbian-bisexual community because of their age, race, gender or physical disability are also encouraged to call the Center's hotline to report such an incident.

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