Abstract

Thousands May Die in the Streets

It is informed that of the more than 90,000 homeless people in New York City, up to 8,000 have Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-Related Complex (ARC). To date, the city has provided sixty-six beds for their care. Last October, Mayor Edward Koch announced that an additional 838 beds would be made available by 1991. But with an estimated 400,000 New Yorkers currently testing positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and a majority of them expected to develop AIDS or ARC, the partnership estimates that by then there will be between 130,000 and 180,000 people with AIDS or ARC in need of housing. The convergence of AIDS and homelessness is becoming increasingly evident. Few cities have undertaken projects specifically designed to address the emergency, in part due to the overwhelming burdens already shouldered by AIDS service organizations and homeless advocacy groups.