Mayor Daley, City Council Increase HIV Prevention
Funding by $500,000

CHICAGO—The Chicago City Council voted today to increase City HIV prevention funding by $500,000 as part of the 2007 city budget. The funding increase was proposed by Mayor Richard M. Daley on November 13.

Chicago will allocate $4,229,500 in city funds for HIV prevention next year, up from $3,729,500 in 2006. In addition, Chicago will direct $500,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to HIV prevention, as it has done since 2003.

“We thank Mayor Daley and the City Council for increasing HIV prevention resources in Chicago,” said Mark Ishaug, executive director of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC). “We cannot turn the tide against this epidemic without investing in proven prevention programs. We must continue to advocate loudly and strongly at all levels of government for additional prevention and care resources.”

The City of Chicago last increased HIV prevention funding in 2003, when $600,000 in additional city and federal funds were approved for prevention. Since then, however, state and federal funding has been cut by almost $500,000, and 6,000 more Chicagoans have tested positive for HIV. Because of reduced funding, programs for injection drug users, women and girls, and other high-risk populations were slated for reduction at the end of 2006. Some of these programs will continue because of Chicago’s increase.

“The City Council recognized that additional prevention funding is needed to curb the rate of new HIV infection. Additionally, there are more Chicagoans living with HIV who depend on city services,” said Alderman Tom Tunney (44th Ward), who led the City Council’s efforts to increase funding. “I pledge to closely work with Mayor Daley, my colleagues in City Council, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and advocates to make sure HIV prevention is a priority in the 2008 budget.” Tunney also called on the state and federal government to increase their support for HIV prevention.

“HIV disease is having the greatest impact on African-Americans and Latinos,” said Rev. Doris Green, AFC’s director of community affairs. “Three-quarters of new HIV infections in Chicago today are among people of color. The new funding will help restore critical and innovative interventions that will reach these groups.”

Mayor Daley’s budget was introduced in October 2006 but didn’t include a funding increase for HIV prevention services. Advocates placed hundreds of calls and met with their aldermen to make the case for additional prevention resources. The process culminated on November 1 when Alderman Tunney introduced an ordinance to increase HIV prevention funding. The ordinance immediately gained 36 co-sponsors. On the same day, key advocates testified at a City Council budget hearing about the need for increased funding.

Supporters of the HIV prevention initiative include: Alderman Tunney, Shirley Coleman (16th Ward), Billy Ocasio (26th Ward), Ed Smith (28th Ward), Helen Shiller (46th Ward), Mary Ann Smith (48th Ward) and her chief of staff, State-Representative-Elect, Greg Harris (D-13th).

City Funding Central