Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Research shows that sense-of-home can influence health of people living with HIV (PLHIV). However, impacts of home-making on HIV treatment among marginally-housed PLHIV who use drugs are poorly understood. We examined this relationship in Vancouver, Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 PLHIV who use drugs, focusing on housing conditions, drug use, and HIV management. Interviews were analyzed thematically and interpreted by drawing on concepts of home. Ability to control housing environments contributed to perceptions of home by fostering feelings of safety and allowing for creation of personalized space. Participants identified the importance of housing stability and quality in maintaining health, including HIV care. However, negative experiences of home, informed by structural-level factors that undermined autonomy, negatively impacted treatment adherence. Findings indicate that sense of place may enable ability to manage HIV care, and is promoted through feelings of security within, and control over, housing environments.