A new haven: weeks after Hurricane Katrina, temporary housing facilities for HIV/AIDS patients in Mississippi struggle to rebuild.Two days after Hurricane Katrina  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. ravaged rav·age v. rav·aged, rav·ag·ing, rav·ages v.tr. 1. To bring heavy destruction on; devastate: A tornado ravaged the town. 2. the Gulf Coast, Kathy Garner stood in a Hattiesburg, Miss., street and surveyed the damage to her workplace. Haven House--a transitional housing facility for people with HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome who are homeless--had survived, but the roof had been all but ripped off. Old oak trees had fallen to the ground. Inside, water dripped from the ceilings to the furniture. On that day, however, there was no time to get sentimental about the fate of the cozy Victorian built in 1896. A man came out of a nearby house and walked up to Garner. He explained that he had escaped Slidell, La., with only three days' worth of his anti-HIV medication and needed help immediately. In the following weeks she has encountered dozens of similar stories. "It's almost a kind of triage triage Division of patients for priority of care, usually into three categories: those who will not survive even with treatment; those who will survive without treatment; and those whose survival depends on treatment. , with people that we case-manage and people that we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. ," says Garner, Haven House's program director. She and a social worker continue to field dozens of daily calls. A broader group in Hattiesburg--formed years ago to help people with HIV/AIDS--has been canvassing shelters in nearby counties and rural areas to ensure that patients have access to medication and other basic necessities. "It's sort of overwhelming to be able to be thrown into a situation where you can be what you've always wanted to be," Garner says. "I think the folks that are involved with our board and coalition feel driven to do the best we can with our residents." Such groups have little choice in Mississippi. For years the largely rural state has suffered a severe shortage of resources for its LGBT LGBT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender citizens and people with HIV/AIDS. In fact, there are only three transitional housing residences in the entire state--located in Hattiesburg, Biloxi, and Jackson for those with HIV/AIDS. Each of those facilities is now struggling to rebuild. The transitional living Transitional Living for Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Transitional living is a restructuring of an old concept. The early centers for living were known as Halfway or Three-Quarter houses and usually were in existence for the provision of shelter for people who were facility in Biloxi--the 12-person Augusta House--fared a bit better during the storm, being a quarter mile from the beach. A few weeks after the storm its electricity and cable service had been restored, and it was housing six HIV-positive clients as well as two who were not positive but just needed a place to say. Officials were in the process of cleaning up tree damage. "We are are just so fortunate," says James DeDeaux, executive director of the South Mississippi AIDS Task Force, which operates Augusta House. "God has granted us the opportunity to serve other people in the community, not just people who are positive." He adds that 150 of the task force's clients lost everything in Katrina. The task force has also been charged with obtaining a variety of other types of assistance for the people it serves, including the money for co-payments on medications and gas for transportation to doctor's appointments. Garner says she has yet to hear of LGBT evacuees Resident or transient persons who have been ordered or authorized to move by competent authorities, and whose movement and accommodation are planned, organized and controlled by such authorities. being discriminated against as they sought help. When she spoke with The Advocate in September, Garner still held out hope that Haven House would reopen at the end of the month. Volunteers were busy covering the roof with a tarpaulin and awaiting word from the insurance adjuster. Their supplies had been depleted de·plete tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes To decrease the fullness of; use up or empty out. [Latin d . The gay-straight alliance at the University of Southern Mississippi was even offering to raise money with a bake sale “Bake Sale” redirects here. For the episode from the TV show 8 Simple Rules, see List of 8 Simple Rules episodes. A bake sale is a fundraising activity where baked goods such as doughnuts, cupcakes and cookies, sometimes along with ethnic foods, are sold. . "I think it has brought out the best in people," she says. HOW YOU CAN HELP The transitional housing facilities for homeless people with HIV/AIDS need donations. To find out how you can help, go to www.advocate.com and click on LINKS, |
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