Grant: Operating Grant - HIV/AIDS CBR Program - Indigenous

Thirty years into the HIV and AIDS epidemic, Aboriginal peoples continue to be disproportionately affected in increasing rates of infection(1). A factor driving this situation is housing instability(2). Aboriginal peoples are over-represented among Canada's homeless populations(3) or are living in single-room occupancy hotels and other transitional living arrangements(4). Unstable housing contributes to health disparities, can prevent access to appropriate health service, and is associated with poor physical health, mental illness and HIV-related risk behaviour, such as drug use and exchanging sex. Although various housing and health initiatives have attempted to structurally address these complex issues, unfortunately social housing designs are often based on Western constructs and force Aboriginal peoples to live in homes in ways not originally intended or that inadvertently suppress cultural identity(7). This study aims to identify and work towards addressing gaps in appropriate housing options that support cultural identity and concepts of home for Aboriginal peoples living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. A multiple method approach involving a programmatic and policy scan and digital story-telling will be used by our academic and community-based research collaborative to work with Aboriginal people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS to explore cultural meanings of housing and home and how this links with health status and HIV transmission. This will be used within an integrated approach to knowledge translation and exchange to support a culturally appropriate response to Aboriginal housing needs in the context of HIV. Our community-based research design is consistent with Indigenous scholarship, the principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession, and the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada.