Cascade AIDS Project Awarded $50,000 To Start HIV & Aging Program

Portland, OR | October 31, 2017 - Cascade AIDS Project (“CAP”) is proud to announce that it has been awarded $50,000 from Gilead Sciences, Inc. to create a program to work with individuals aged 50 years and over who are are living with HIV.

“In preparation for this grant opportunity, we conducted a survey of our existing clients aged 50 and over and we identified a need for improved age-specific services—especially around information and resource referrals,” said Kendra Castaldo, CAP’s Director of Housing and Support Services. “With this grant we will be able to spend the next year reviewing client needs and determing what barriers exist and then build capacity in our staff to address the issues affecting this important part of our community. This is a novel program for an AIDS Service Organization and we are excited to share our findings with our peers.”

“A key component of the HIV and Aging program is CAP’s relationship with the community organization, Let’s Kick Ass Portland (LKA). This grant enables us to support LKA’s existing social gatherings and work with their existing community of long-term survivors of the HIV epidemic to gain invaluable insight about the needs of this population,” said Tyler TerMeer, CAP’s Executive Director. “Our hope and expectation is that this program and partnership with LKA will enable us to improve the quality of life for individuals aged 50 or older who are living with HIV for many years to come!”

The grant will fund CAP’s HIV and Aging Program for one year. CAP will invest additional resources to develop permanent staff capacity and produce a robust resource library for clients that will be accessible after the grant period ends.