We connected with Glen Hart, from Fife House for this week’s Charitable Choice feature. Through supportive housing, meal provision, mental wellness, and social programs, Fife House addresses the critical intersection of HIV and housing insecurity, fostering a more equitable and inclusive environment for PHAs. Glen Hart, serving as the Volunteer Lead, offers us insight into his role and the mission of Fife House.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
Fife House provides supportive housing and other related support programs and services such as meals, mental wellness, and social programs, for vulnerable people and families who are living with HIV, who are also experiencing houselessness or housing insecurity in the City of Toronto. Our Community Outreach/Linkage to Care team also provides support to priority at-risk and historically marginalized communities that are affected by HIV. Our organization began as an entirely community-driven, volunteer-led effort, and volunteers continue to work in many aspects of our programs and services.
What problem does it aim to solve?
In a nutshell, we strive to create a more equitable and inclusive city by supporting People Living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) in securing housing and accessing services so that they can lead full and healthy lives.
Fife House was founded at the height of the AIDS crisis in the late 1980s and early 1990s when many PHAs found themselves on the streets, having had to either leave or been forced out of their homes due to fear, bias or stigma. The community rallied to establish Fife House to provide housing and support for such community members. Over 35 years later, Fife House remains resolute in that mission, while adapting to evolving needs of community members. There is a wealth of research and evidence that indicates that PHAs have much better life-outcomes if they are safely, adequately, and appropriately housed, and also receive supports to maintain that housing as well as their physical and mental health and well-being. This in turn has a beneficial ripple effect to the healthcare and other systems overall.
Where did you start/join it?
I began my professional life in Fife House about 7 years ago, in the Meal Program at our Huntley Transitional Housing program. My connection to the HIV sector, however, is much earlier and infinitely more personal. I have been living with HIV for about 18 years, and I have also experienced homelessness. It’s been an interesting transition from client in the sector, to volunteering, and finally to becoming a worker in the sector that saved my life.
What made you want to get involved?
It was a case where my personal life experience and my professional life intersected. I remembered what it looked like when I was the one in need of services and support, what was helpful (and what wasn’t), and I used that as my motivation for the work. It is still my prime motivator.
What was the situation like when you started?
Fife House was in a state of great change and growth when I came on board in 2017. We were about to launch the new Huntley Transitional Housing program, and other new programs were in development. I had just completed education in Community Work and Disability Studies, and I wanted “in”, even if the first job wasn’t where I ultimately wanted to be. The needs were great, and the demographics of those who were living with HIV were changing. So many challenges, and yet so many possibilities.
How has it changed since?
Demographically, the communities most affected by HIV has continued to change. Today, new clients tend to be from several priority and historically marginalized populations: people who inject substances, newcomers (particularly women), sex workers, and people from Indigenous and other racialized communities.
Medical advances have also made it possible for PHAs to lead long, healthy lives. With the right medication and care, PHAs can have undetectable viral loads which means that the disease is untransmittable and cannot be passed sexually, something known as U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable). However, there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS, and inequities in access to medication, healthcare, and prevention continue to impact certain communities. After many years of declining overall, rates of new HIV infections have recently risen in some communities.
The current housing and food crises have also disproportionately affected the communities we serve. As a result, the need has never been higher, nor have the resources ever been scarcer. Our demand for services far exceeds our capacity to meet the need.
What more needs to be done?
As your readers will guess from what I just said, so much remains to be done.
More deeply affordable housing, more support services, and more secure funding and investments in the HIV sector are required from the various levels of government. And of course, more support is needed from the community too, as this is an issue that directly or indirectly affects us all. It is quite likely that we all know someone who is PHA, but due to stigma, many PHAs keep their condition on a need-to-know basis only.
How can our readers help?
There are so many ways in which Toronto Guardian readers can help. Like many non-profits, the need and demands on our programs and services far outweighs our capacity. Financial contributions – particularly monthly donations – are always welcomed, of course. But Fife House is also looking for volunteers to provide practical, hands-on support to our life-changing work. Volunteers work in Meal Programs, Special Events/Fundraising, Reception, as well as assisting with our many client-facing programs and services.
Do you have any events coming up?
Yes, we have a number of events coming up and invite readers to visit our website for more details.
In November, we will be hosting an online silent auction – a great opportunity for folks to get a head-start on purchasing holiday gifts for loved ones while also supporting our work.
We will also be hosting our year-end donation drive in December, and our signature annual ‘A Taste for Life (ATFL)’ event in April where we partner with restaurants and food establishments across Toronto that will donate part of their sales on event day to Fife House; so Toronto Guardian readers can support us simply by eating at participating restaurants on ATFL event day with their friends and loved ones!
Where can we follow you?
You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn!
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
We love the amazing and important work being done by 2-Spirited Peoples of the First Nations. We encourage you to check them out!
