The introduction and widespread access to antiretroviral treatments in the mid-1990s transformed both the nature of the HIV epidemic and the outlook for those living with HIV. As people are living longer, they have to think about what the future holds for them.
For BGF, it has become increasingly clear that longer term solutions are needed to meet the current and future needs of people living with HIV. For this reason, BGF has increasingly developed services such as supported accommodation, financial counselling, vocational counselling and capacity building to encourage our clients to take control of their lives and plan for the future.
Since 2006, BGF’s caseworkers have undertaken a process of working more closely with clients to address their individual needs by taking account of each client’s specific circumstances (health, financial situation, housing, employment, study, social networks and access to the broader range of community services). Client service programs will be focused on supporting clients to develop skills and resilience to maximise their health and overall well-being, and help plan for the future.
This means that our financial assistance program will no longer be an automatic, unending service. Instead, it will be targeted to the specific needs of individual clients. We believe that this is a fairer approach in providing financial assistance to an ever-increasing number of clients with very diverse needs. It also reflects how the organisation is planning to support and enable clients to manage their finances.
The new approach to prioritising financial assistance will result in changes to the level and duration of financial assistance that BGF can offer. For new clients, these changes will commence on 1 January 2010. For existing clients, changes to levels of financial assistance will not take place until 1 July 2010 and will vary depending on individual needs of clients. Clients will be contacted by their caseworkers over the coming months to discuss both the changes and their individual service plans, update any information (including income statements) and review client budgets.
There will be no changes to certain areas of assistance and service provision including:
• Financial Counselling
• Service coordination
• Capacity-building programs such as Phoenix Workshops
• Financial assistance with the cost of HIV anti-retroviral and HIV-related medications
• Medical gap assistance for HIV-related procedures
• Assistance with costs associated with approved study and return to work
• No Interest Loans Scheme® (NILS®)
• Supported Accommodation
Please click here to read more about the changes to our services in the latest issue of Positive Links.
If you would like more information about how the changes will affect you or if you want to make an appointment to discuss the changes in person, please contact your caseworker on 02 9283 8666 or 1800 651 011.