Expanding Access to Care in New York City
A 46-year-old man, recently diagnosed with HIV, currently travels to Housing Works’ SoHo branch for treatment, but he looks forward to having comprehensive healthcare steps from his apartment. Housing Works, which provides sexual healthcare, case management, and nutrition counseling to New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS, will soon break ground on a new Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The new center is slated to open March 2020, and when it is complete, Housing Works will be able to expand its supportive services to even more people.
A 28-year-old transgender woman who loses her job and health insurance can rely on Callen-Lorde for her hormone therapy and wellness exams. Callen-Lorde offers non-judgmental, body-positive, LGTBQ healthcare, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Callen-Lorde’s new 25,000-square-foot FQHC is scheduled to open February 2020 in Downtown Brooklyn. At full capacity, the center will serve 13,000 patients through 60,000 visits each year.
A gay teenager whose family kicked him out of his home can find a safe haven and a way to stay in school thanks to the Ali Forney Center. The center, named after a homeless, gender nonconforming teen and advocate who was murdered in 1997, serves nearly 1,400 young people every year with supportive housing, medical and behavioral healthcare, job readiness programs, and a 24-hour drop-in center that provides over 70,000 meals annually.
It’s no secret that healthcare in the United States is exorbitantly expensive and can be difficult to afford, even for people who have full-time jobs and are fortunate enough to be able to purchase health insurance through their employer. For those with chronic illnesses, patients with HIV/AIDS, and members of the LGBTQ community, it is often harder to access medical treatment, preventive care, and behavioral health services. Not only do they have to battle intense stigma, but medication and doctors’ visits can cost thousands of dollars a month. In 2018, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) provided Housing Works, Callen-Lorde, and the Ali Forney Center with nearly $9 million in flexible financing to help cover costs for construction and program expansion, and to bridge government grants and contract payments that aren’t paid on time. NFF is proud to support their missions to provide better health outcomes for those who need it most. Working on these deals has even inspired one NFF team member to get involved in her own way.
"The young people we met [at the Ali Forney Center] were all so full of life, vision, and eagerness to achieve their dreams. I left feeling that any advice I had offered them paled in comparison to the inspiration I took from their tenacity even in the face of so many life challenges.”
Learn more about NFF’s work at the intersection of health and human services. And if you are interested in applying for a loan? Click here to learn more about NFF's financing options.