LGBTQIA+ History: What Are “The Denver Principles” and How Should This History Shape HOPWA Programs?
The Cloudburst Group
Solutions for global development, housing, and health in the U.S. and internationally.
Did you know that in June 1983, a group of gay men identifying as people with AIDS took the stage at the Second National AIDS Forum in Denver, Colorado, to present a manifesto asserting the rights, humanity, and autonomy of people with AIDS? This manifesto and the recommendations of these brave people came to be known as the Denver Principles. They outlined 17 concepts that gave voice to people with AIDS, outlined how all people could meaningfully support those with AIDS, and encouraged those with AIDS to demand control over their lives and an equal place where decisions are made. The Denver Principles put persons with HIV and AIDS at the center of the AIDS response, and today they can be used to put persons with HIV and AIDS back at the center of HIV programs, including the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program.
Two of the Denver Principles state that persons with AIDS should “be involved at every level of decision-making…” and “be included in all AIDS forums with equal credibility as other participants, to share their own experiences and knowledge.” These two principles are sometimes lost as part of LGBTQIA+ history, but they are at the core of all HOPWA programs’ design as a way to measure their effectiveness and success.??
The Cloudburst Group encourages HOPWA programs to meaningfully engage persons with lived experience and expertise (HOPWA PLEE) as equal experts. With prevailing guidance from HUD, HOPWA grantees and project sponsors are encouraged to engage HOPWA PLEE at every level of decision-making with equal credibility and also fairly compensate HOPWA PLEE, ensuring HOPWA-eligible families are thought of and treated as equals when sharing their experience and knowledge. HOPWA grantees and project sponsors are also encouraged to develop and sustain a commitment to equity, especially racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equity, as core values in HOPWA programs to improve systems and increase equitable outcomes for BIPOC, Women, and LGBTQ+ people eligible for HOPWA assistance.?
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If you would like to learn more about how to engage persons with lived experience and expertise through HOPWA programs, please email: [email protected]
Fair Housing Manager @ The Cloudburst Group | Housing Policy
1 个月As a fair housing professional I think it is important we recognize the value of the Denver Principles to the fair housing movement. They underscore the need for individuals, especially marginalized groups, to have autonomy and equal access to housing without discrimination. In the context of fair housing law, adopting the spirit of the Denver Principles can help ensure that all individuals, regardless of race, color, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, familial status, disability, as well as survivors of domestic violence, are treated with respect, provided accommodations, and empowered to assert their fair housing rights. This alignment promotes inclusive, just, and equitable housing practices.