General

July 28 2021

Life and a Family While HIV+: LaTisa’s Story

Since 1992, House of Ruth has served families impacted by HIV/AIDS. We strive to support people in our community who are HIV/AIDS-positive, and their families, through a spectrum of services. From stable housing to back-to-school assistance, House of Ruth helps clients and their families work toward health and stability for life.

LaTisa’s Story

Long-time House of Ruth client LaTisa was six months pregnant when she learned that she was HIV-positive.

The Struggle of Addiction

Addiction was part of LaTisa’s life long before she tried drugs herself. Her mother smoked marijuana daily for as long as she could remember, before becoming addicted to prescription drugs. “I knew what the pills were,” LaTisa says, “because I matched them up to a magazine ad.”

When LaTisa was in her teens, her mother began using cocaine, and by the time LaTisa was in her mid-twenties, her mother had developed an addiction to crack. It was her mother who first gave LaTisa crack cocaine. “I remember her saying, ‘here, try this.’ I spent my whole paycheck on drugs the first day I tried crack.”

An HIV+ Diagnosis

Six years later, LaTisa had enough of her addiction. She went into rehabilitation at The Healing Place, and it was during her recovery that she became pregnant with her daughter. “It was my second or third doctor’s appointment after I found out I was pregnant,” LaTisa recalls, “and my doctor wanted to talk to me about my lab results without my daughter’s father. Then he told me I had HIV.”

LaTisa was overwhelmed with emotions at the diagnosis. “I was angry and scared,” she says. “I cried the whole day because I thought I was going to die.” LaTisa, like many, didn’t understand that it was possible to have a life with HIV. While she couldn’t pinpoint when or where she’d contracted the virus, LaTisa wanted to do everything she could to avoid passing the disease to her baby.

Moving Forward

As soon as she was diagnosed, she went to The 550 Clinic (previously The WINGS Clinic), which is the local public health clinic for HIV patients. There she was given information and education on HIV and a referral to House of Ruth. Thankfully, taking HIV medication as prescribed throughout pregnancy reduces the rate of transmission from mother to baby to under 1%. “My HIV has always been undetectable, so I only had to take medication during my pregnancy,” LaTisa says. She remembers her daughter being tested several times, at birth, at six months, and again at 18 months. Each test came back negative.

Several years after LaTisa first entered The Healing Place, she was able to convince her mother to commit to sobriety as well.

How House of Ruth Helped

Community

LaTisa has been a client of House of Ruth since she was diagnosed in 2003 and considers it an important part of her life and her children’s lives. She is appreciative of the sense of community that House of Ruth offers. “We went to many House of Ruth events as a family. It was always nice to spend time with other clients and get to know them.”

Camp Heart to Heart

For her children, House of Ruth referred LaTisa to Camp Heart to Heart, a yearly week-long summer camp for children ages 5-12 who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. LaTisa’s daughter and son have attended Camp Heart to Heart every year. When she aged out of the camp, her daughter even returned as a camp counselor.

Back-to-School Assistance

Another helpful service for LaTisa’s family was the House of Ruth Back-to-School program. Many of our client families expressed their frustrations that the expense of back-to-school shopping was a barrier to their children feeling prepared for the school year. The Back-to-School program began as a way to help families through the times of the year when finances are especially tight. From kindergarten – 12th grade, students receive a backpack filled with school supplies, as well as a gift card to purchase school clothes and shoes.

Housing and Support Services

When LaTisa briefly relapsed in 2016, she was grateful that she could be honest with the House of Ruth support system she’d known for so long. She placed her children with a friend she could trust while she worked hard to regain sobriety. House of Ruth helped the struggling family to pay outstanding bills, as well as provided Kroger cards and TARC tickets. When LaTisa was clean for good, House of Ruth helped her family to get onto the housing list. After a year of working on their credit, LaTisa and her husband were finally able to purchase a home of their own.

Life and a Family When HIV+

Years ago, when LaTisa worked as a drug counselor, she remembers the day a client of hers was diagnosed with HIV. “She was so sad that she cried all day, just like I had.” LaTisa couldn’t disclose that she was also HIV-positive but wanted so badly to comfort her client and tell her that she had the potential to live a full life, just like her. LaTisa was delighted when, later on, she saw that client at House of Ruth and they were able to reconnect and become friends.

LaTisa has raised a healthy family while HIV-positive and wishes more people were educated about the disease. None of her children nor her partner have HIV. “There’s life after an HIV diagnosis,” LaTisa says, “and soon, I hope, there will be a cure.”

18 years later, LaTisa’s daughter — the daughter whose conception brought about LaTisa’s HIV diagnosis — has been accepted to a university and is headed to college in the fall. She’s not quite sure what she wants to major in yet, but LaTisa bets she’ll decide on Business. “She wants to own her own business someday,” LaTisa says. “I’m just so proud of her.”

You can help families like LaTisa’s

In its first year, House of Ruth served eight families. Now, each year we serve hundreds of HIV/AIDS-positive people and their families within the Louisville community. If you’d like to help, please consider making a donation today.

June 30 2021

Long-Term Survivors: Paul and Matt

Katrina Hutchins General 0

The Beginning of HIV/AIDS in America

“You have to understand. At that time, it felt like a war.”

When HIV/AIDS got its first foothold in the United States in the early 80s, it began sweeping silently through the gay community like a plague. The research was sparse, and it was years before President Reagan even publicly acknowledged the crisis. By that point, thousands had succumbed to the disease.

House of Ruth client, Paul, is a long-term survivor of HIV. He describes the beginning of the epidemic as chilling and bleak. “All of my friends from the 80s and 90s are dead,” he says. “There was just non-stop death. You have to understand. At that time, it felt like a war.” At the beginning of the epidemic, the life expectancy of new HIV/AIDS patients was a matter of months, if not weeks.

Early HIV/AIDS Diagnosis

Paul was working as a psychiatric nurse in 1984 when he began to feel sick. “I’d had strep seven or eight times that year, and my primary care doctor started questioning me about sleeping with men,” Paul says. When Paul was diagnosed in 1984, there wasn’t yet a true HIV test, but his blood work indicated that he was infected. Despite being told that he had only three months to live, his diagnosis was confirmed by an antibody test in 1990.

Paul’s partner, Matt, is also a long-term survivor. He was working as a CNA and living in a rural northern midwestern town when he was diagnosed in 1994. He went to the health department after having night sweats and exhaustion. At that time, he was only the second person to be diagnosed with HIV at that facility; the first was his partner, who had knowingly infected Matt. At the time of his diagnosis, Matt was told he wouldn’t live past his 24th birthday.

Early HIV Treatment: AZT

Paul and Matt both went on disability after their diagnoses. Paul had been terminated for his sexuality, and in addition to the symptoms of the disease, early HIV/AIDS patients had to contend with the aggressive treatment that often came with severe side effects.

In 1987, the FDA approved the first antiretroviral drug, zidovudine, also called AZT. However, AZT was first identified decades earlier as a potential cancer treatment, but was initially shelved because it was deemed “too toxic.”

“At that time, they were just trying to save us,” Paul says, “but the medicine was intolerable.” Paul was on and off his prescriptions in the first years of his treatment simply because he couldn’t stand the vomiting and migraines. Matt recalls struggling (and often failing) to keep down 20-30 pills a day. However, fevers, nausea, headaches, and weight loss are among the mild symptoms of AZT: more serious symptoms included serious damage to the liver, heart, and muscles.

HIV Treatment Today

HIV/AIDS treatment has progressed dramatically. Now, the recommendation is a combination of antiretrovirals, rather than a massive dose of one treatment. Instead of taking dozens of pills a day, HIV patients are prescribed a more manageable dosage. Side effects are less acute, and the medications don’t ravage the body of the patient, as early therapies did. HIV is managed as a chronic illness now, like diabetes, and the life expectancy of HIV patients has improved dramatically. Paul now takes only one pill a day for his HIV, and Matt takes only two.

The Long-Term Survivor’s Struggle

“It’s not the HIV that gets you down, it’s everything else.”

Unfortunately for long-term HIV survivors like Paul and Matt, they were simply too early to avoid the serious effects of the disease and the decades of toxic treatments. Long-term HIV survivors are significantly more likely to experience comorbidities, chronic illnesses, and mental illness. “It’s not the HIV that gets you down,” Paul says, “it’s everything else. Pain can really get you down.” Among other things, Paul struggles with peripheral neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, degenerative disk disease, as well as major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Matt also struggles with depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, diabetes, and kidney disease, among other chronic health issues.

Paul and Matt have been together for over 12 years. They take care of each other and understand one another, not only because they share a diagnosis but also because to be a long-term HIV survivor can mean isolation. Both have lost their friends to the disease and their families to discrimination. Even navigating the healthcare system, their lifeline, has been a challenge. In the beginning, some doctors refused to treat HIV patients, and Paul remembers being called slurs at the emergency room. As an early HIV patient, finding a trustworthy and sympathetic infectious disease specialist could be life-changing. Matt and Paul describe the relationships with their first long-term doctors as being almost familial.

Above All Else, A Cure

“We never thought we’d get to see this point. A point where HIV is manageable.”

Since their diagnoses, Paul and Matt have seen many changes. The face of HIV itself has changed, along with treatment and prognosis. “My friends who died were courageous and fought HIV/AIDS in their own way. They left a legacy,” Paul says. “Now I can say to people who are newly diagnosed with HIV: ‘it’s going to be okay. It may feel like the end of the world, but for you, it’s not.’”

Despite the enormous changes Paul and Matt have seen since their diagnoses, there’s still more they’d like to see: community support to help HIV/AIDS-positive people thrive; a decrease in the stigma associated with the disease; an increase in testing and treatment; but above all else, a cure.

Until there’s a cure, House of Ruth is here to help support HIV/AIDS-positive people in our community. Paul and Matt have been House of Ruth clients since 2009, and say it helps bridge the gap so that they can be comfortable. Disability payments barely cover rent, so House of Ruth’s food pantry and financial assistance help Paul and Matt to make ends meet. In the past, House of Ruth has helped to cover a security deposit and first month’s rent to ensure safe housing for Paul and Matt. “House of Ruth goes above and beyond,” Paul says, “they’re like a family to us.”

If you’d like to help House of Ruth support HIV/AIDS-positive people struggling with homelessness or financial insecurity in the Louisville community, donate today.

May 26 2021

Unlocking Hope: Dwight’s Story

Katrina Hutchins General 0

“House of Ruth was always there for me, and I’m grateful for them. In a lot of ways, I don’t know where I would be without them.” – Dwight Taylor, House of Ruth Client

Last month, we sat down with our long-time client, Dwight, who shared his story with the community. “My name is Dwight Taylor,” he began. “I’m originally from New York, from the Bronx.”

Dwight’s Struggles

Dwight lived in the Bronx during the beginnings of hip hop and explored a rap career as a young man. Unfortunately, he became involved in crime and began doing hard drugs. When Dwight’s son was born, he knew he had to get clean and decided to move to Louisville. “After I got down here, I stayed clean for about a year,” Dwight said, but ultimately, he was pulled back to drugs. His struggles with addiction continued for many years.

Nearly 17 years ago, Dwight was diagnosed with HIV. He remembered the doctor conveying his positive diagnosis and then leaving him to process the news. “I thought I was dying,” Dwight recalled. “All I can remember is bursting into tears.” In addition to his addiction, Dwight had been struggling with diabetes. Very shortly after his HIV diagnosis, Dwight woke up to almost complete vision loss.

At his lowest point, Dwight attempted to end his life.

“My Life Goes On”

It was Dr. Anna Huang who first referred Dwight to House of Ruth. He recalled Dr. Huang’s stern warning that she would only treat him if he promised to stay clean. “This isn’t a death sentence,” she told him. “I’ll treat you for your diabetes and your HIV, but the drugs have to end.” For Dwight, this was a pivotal moment. “She never had to worry about it from that point on,” he said.

Dwight came to House of Ruth very shortly after his HIV diagnosis. “After coming to House of Ruth and learning how to deal with the disability and the HIV, I learned that my life goes on,” Dwight said. House of Ruth helped Dwight get education about and support for his HIV and substance abuse disorder. Peer groups who could empathize with Dwight’s struggles, and share their trials and successes, helped Dwight learn how to move forward.

At that time, Dwight got disability support for his blindness, but nearly all of his payments went toward rent. He gained custody of his daughter, which made it even more challenging to get by. House of Ruth helped his family to acquire housing, helped feed them with our food pantry, and helped get Dwight’s daughter school supplies and Christmas gifts.

A New Chapter

Since coming to House of Ruth, Dwight also dealt with losing kidney function, undergoing ten years of dialysis, and ultimately getting a kidney transplant. We were there for Dwight during hard times so that he could focus on healing and building a life for himself. He was able to earn his psychology degree and acquire his peer support certification. Dwight now works as a direct peer support specialist at Seven Counties Services and hopes to become a project coordinator. “I love my job because I get to give back what was given to me,” Dwight said.

Now, after 17 years as a client of House of Ruth, Dwight is graduating from our Long-Term Housing Program and looking for his dream home. You can watch Dwight tell his story by visiting bit.ly/unlockinghope.

You Can Help

House of Ruth is the only local organization focused on providing housing and support services to HIV-positive people and their families, and we help over 600 Louisvillians annually. When our clients unlock the door of their home, they are unlocking hope. Donations allow House of Ruth to help people like Dwight to heal and thrive until there is a vaccine and a cure for HIV/AIDS. Now until June 30, your donation does even more. For every three-year pledge of at least $100 per year, The Gheens Foundation will match your first year’s payment dollar for dollar.

Click here to donate today and help our clients unlock hope.

April 28 2021

A Day in the Life

Crawford Designs General

A Day in the Life of Housing Case Manager Nayia Green

At House of Ruth, we work with a very specific population: our clients are HIV-positive and battle homelessness. As a Housing Case Manager, I work with about 24 clients who utilize House of Ruth’s Long-Term Housing Program. Here are some of the things I do each day:

Supporting My Clients

My clients know they can contact me for help with almost anything! (Learn more about our wraparound services by clicking here.) I start each day by checking my messages. I have a close relationship with my clients and I’m always there for them. If they need something when I’m not “in the office,” I always respond as soon as possible.

Weekly check-ins are required for almost all of my clients. This is when we review treatment plans and goals. Some of the things that I help clients with? Applying for SNAP benefits, finding employment, working with them to pay off outstanding bills, and much more.

Collaborating

I collaborate with almost everyone on the House of Ruth staff to get my clients what they need.

For example: if I need approval for any financial assistance (e.g., rental assistance, assistance with an LG&E bill, or ordering a new state ID) I work with our Housing Program Manager Alisa Miller.

If a client needs TARC tickets, I work with our Intake Coordinator and Receptionist Lara Hurt.

If I’m having any crises with a client (like substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder, or another mental health crisis) I work with our Director of Clinical Services, Deloris Johnson, MSSW, LCSW.

House of Ruth’s staff is a diverse group of people with unique skills, but we’re all working towards the same goal: a better life for our clients.

Building Partnerships

I also spend a lot of time collaborating with community partners outside of House of Ruth.

For example, many of our clients are also patients of the UofL 550 Clinic through the Kentucky HIV/AIDS Care Coordinator Program. Any client who is a patient there is assigned a medical case manager, so I check in regularly to make sure that our shared clients are doing well.

I also work closely with many property managers in our community to ensure that our clients have safe and welcoming places to live.

Being There

At House of Ruth, we are more than just a social service agency, and there are many layers to our work. Sometimes, being a case manager can mean being the only resource for someone who doesn’t have anyone else.

Recently I lost a long-time client and was his only emergency contact. When he transitioned to hospice care, I went to say goodbye. It was important to me because he had no friends or family to visit him. Being the person in someone’s life who grieves their passing is a huge responsibility, and I don’t take it lightly.

Celebrating Victories

The difficult parts of being a case manager make the victories even sweeter! When clients graduate from our housing program, they become eligible for the Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher Program. My client Joshua has been working with me for two years and is finally graduating.

Joshua battled substance abuse, homelessness, HIV, and kidney failure. Throughout our time working together, we’ve set many goals, and he’s achieved them all. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that he doesn’t need me anymore.

Now that Joshua is graduating to Section 8, his goal is to get a house with a yard for himself and his dog. I’ll work with him to secure his Section 8 voucher, then we’ll look for his dream house.

Watching people transition to Section 8 is amazing because it shows just how far they’ve come. These are the stories that make my job “worth it.” Anytime a client tells me that I’ve helped them — even in the smallest way — I can’t imagine a more rewarding career.

You can help House of Ruth clients celebrate more victories by donating today!

You can learn more about our mission and services by visiting us online at HouseofRuth.net, and by following us on social media: Instagram: @houseofruthlou Facebook: @HouseOfRuthLouisville

Pictured above are Alexis Scott, Glade House Clinician and Larry Clark, Glade House Peer Support Specialist.

February 25 2021

Changing Lives by Providing Stability

Crawford Designs General

House of Ruth’s Housing Programs

For nearly 30 years, House of Ruth has worked to provide housing and support services for people with HIV/AIDS and their families who are homeless, at risk of losing their homes, or need financial help. We provide three vital types of housing: long-term, short-term, and emergency shelter. This month, we want to underscore the life-changing impact of these housing programs by sharing three client stories.

Dale’s Story

Our Long-Term Housing Program is designed to help HIV/AIDS-positive clients eliminate the financial, as well as the social and emotional, barriers to securing and maintaining permanent housing. For this program, House of Ruth owns and maintains 17 single-family properties throughout Louisville, in addition to maintaining working relationships with many community landlords. We also offer individualized case management, financial assistance, crisis intervention, behavioral health services, and referrals to clients utilizing our long-term housing services.

Dale worked at a local hotel and rented a room at a boarding house. When COVID-19 reached Louisville, the hotel closed, and Dale lost his job. Unable to pay rent, he moved out of his room and began living in a tent. Dale had a pre-existing heart condition, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to live outside for long.

After six months on the streets, Dale reached out to the Coalition for the Homeless and was referred to the House of Ruth. In August he moved into one of our one-bedroom units and found new employment. Shortly thereafter he began feeling ill. He found out he needed heart surgery, so he prioritized his health and attended doctor’s appointments, ultimately costing him his job once again.

Were Dale still living in a tent, who knows what would have happened, but because Dale was in House of Ruth’s Long-Term Housing Program, he was able to have his heart surgery and recover in a clean, safe place. Dale is doing well a month post-surgery and starts a new job next week.

Margaret’s Story

Margaret was in a difficult situation. She lived in a rural area, where she rented an unfinished basement from abusive landlords. She was unable to access vital services (including food) unless she paid for a taxi. On her small fixed income, this was often impossible. Margaret had broken her arm falling down the unsafe basement stairs and knew she needed to get out. With her tenuous financial situation, she would need subsidized housing in order to move, and came to House of Ruth for help.

Her ID was expired, so rental companies wouldn’t even accept her application. House of Ruth paid the fee to get Margaret a new ID and helped her to access this service. We found Margaret an apartment in an assisted living program, and her case manager went above and beyond to help Margaret move her belongings and her cat into her new living space. The assisted living facility also helped Margaret secure some basics for her new home, including some furniture.

With House of Ruth’s help, Margaret’s home is now completely accessible, affording her a better quality of life. She regularly takes advantage of House of Ruth’s food pantry, TARC ticket assistance, and toiletry pantry. She’s provided weekly bus trips to the grocery store, activities with other residents, and is conveniently close to all of her doctors in Louisville!

James’ Story

James is a long-time House of Ruth client who recently came back in need of housing. He had been living recklessly for many years as he struggled with substance use disorder. James realized that he needed help, or he was going to die. He asked House of Ruth for a second chance and went into treatment.

James moved into one of the Emergency Shelter Beds at Glade House. James was very motivated to improve his life and achieve the goal of moving into his own apartment. He found pride in taking care of Glade House, even helping to clean and do chores. As he worked toward recovery, he became a great candidate for our Short-Term Housing Program.

Our Short-Term Housing clients work with social workers to support their individual goals. They also have access to group and individual therapy. James took advantage of every group meeting and even became a peer support sponsor, where he now provides support for others who are homeless and facing the struggle of substance use disorder.

After two years of working through the House of Ruth Short-Term Housing Program, James was able to graduate. Upon graduation, he received a Housing Choice Voucher (section 8) allowing him to move into his dream apartment in the neighborhood of his choice. James is now celebrating four years of sobriety and has an apartment and a car. He makes sure to stay in touch with the staff at Glade House to let them know how well he is doing.

These are just some of the hundreds of stories of clients who’ve benefited from House of Ruth’s services. For those who have never experienced homelessness, it’s difficult to fully understand how challenging it can be to get out of the cycle of homelessness. As such, it can be easy to read about the services offered at House of Ruth without truly appreciating the impact that they have. Our continuum of services helps to change lives by providing stability, allowing clients to overcome the barriers to securing and maintaining permanent housing.

Want to help House of Ruth’s important work? Donate today.

January 28 2021

We’ve Started a Blog

Katrina Hutchins General

Introducing the New House of Ruth Blog

Since 1992, House of Ruth has filled an important social need: providing housing and support services for people with HIV/AIDS and their families who are homeless, at risk of losing their homes, or need financial help. Over the past 29 years, we’ve helped countless of our most vulnerable community members. In this new monthly blog, we want to celebrate House of Ruth’s important work by sharing some of our incredible client success stories.

What Is House of Ruth?

House of Ruth offers a continuum of vital services.

Emergency and Family Services includes our food and toiletry pantry, financial assistance, and case management.
Our Glade House Emergency Shelter offers three beds for homeless HIV-positive people for up to 90 days, while they receive intensive case management designed to help them find stable housing.
Glade House Short-Term Housing offers ten beds to homeless HIV-positive people for up to two years. During this time, residents can move forward in a positive, drug and alcohol-free environment. Individual and group counseling helps individuals become healthy and self-supporting. The ultimate goal is for Glade House residents to find and maintain their own housing.
Finally, our Long-Term Housing Program provides safe and affordable housing for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS and their families. House of Ruth owns and maintains 17 single-family properties and has working relationships with community landlords throughout Louisville.

Our Impact

In its first year, House of Ruth served eight families in need. Needless to say, we’ve grown quite a bit since then. During our last fiscal year (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020), we helped hundreds of clients. Here are just a few important milestones:

Emergency and Family Services
370 clients used our food pantry at least once per month
229 received 20 TARC tickets every other month
68 clients received payment for rental applications and security deposit fees
75 clients received rent or utility assistance

Glade House Emergency Shelter
Our emergency beds had a utilization rate of 99%
85% of clients exited to more stable housing
75% of clients left with increased income

Glade House Short-Term Housing
100% of clients who graduated the program moved to long-term housing
88% of clients who remained at Glade House for at least nine months were able to maintain housing and manage their addiction

Long-Term Housing Program
59 households, including 91 individuals received case management and subsidized rent
Clients stayed in long-term housing for an average of one year and ten months

Moving Forward

A safe place to live, basic needs met, and the support to move into the next chapter of life; our clients find these necessities through House of Ruth. We are proud to help Louisville community members with HIV/AIDS transform their lives, and we can’t wait to share their successes with you.