Poverty and HIV

Findings from the Crusaid Hardship Fund in Scotland 2007.

This is the first report that has been produced on poverty and HIV in Scotland and is the result of a successful working partnership between Crusaid, Waverley Care and HIV Scotland. It clearly demonstrates that 25 years on in the history of the epidemic, HIV and poverty remain inter-linked. The report mirrors some of the findings from the 2006 report Poverty and HIV, which was limited to England and Wales, but this report also identifies some key differences. For example, the age profile is older than the comparative cohort in England and Wales and highlights the potential longer-term effects of HIV and poverty and the need for policy to address HIV pensioner poverty.

The findings are based on an analysis of data from April 2002 to March 2007, thus covering a five-year period, which coincides with some major shifts in HIV diagnoses in Scotland. The Crusaid Hardship Fund in Scotland was administered by PHACE Scotland (now THT Scotland) during this time. There has been a growth in new diagnoses in four out of five of those years, with a noticeable growth in infections in Greater Glasgow & Clyde.  During this period there has been a growth in new diagnoses among Scotland’s migrant communities, especially those from sub-Saharan Africa.

A series of case studies was made available from requests made to Waverley Care, and the Head of Grants and Projects at Crusaid undertook a series of interviews with referring agencies to identify key issues. The results inform the report and the case studies are used to illustrate the realities of living with HIV in modern Scotland, how poverty affects people and how the Crusaid Hardship Fund has helped.  The report goes on to make key recommendations which it is hoped will receive appropriate consideration by statutory funders and policy makers alike.

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