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Dear Subscriber,
Several of our subscribers are finding that this newsletter is
being blocked. If this has happened to you, you can request that your
mail administrator or ISP add the Constant Contact IP addresses with
DNS (Domain Name Server) to a "white list." To find out more about how
to do this, please reply to us and we'll gladly help. Here's hoping
for many more successfully delivered newsletters. Happy Spring!
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AHC welcomes Michelle Maslov |
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AHC has hired Michelle Maslov as our new Community Organizer,
thanks to the generous support of The Boston Foundation. She will
be working to promote advocacy amongst providers and consumers of
accessible housing under AHC's disability housing advocacy
project, United. Prior to AHC, Michelle did community
education and community organizing on homelessness and poverty
issues for So Others Might Eat, Inc. (SOME) in Washington, D.C.
Michelle has a BA in History from the University of Maryland.
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Victory in the state budget |
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On May 23, the senate adopted an amendment to the FY2006 state
budget offered by Senator Brian Joyce and co-sponsored by senators
Tucker, O'Leary, Fargo, and Barrios that increased funding for the
Alternative Housing Voucher Program by $700,000. If this increase
remains in the final FY2006 state budget, it will provide roughly
100 new vouchers for people with disabilities in Massachusetts.
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AHC goes to Washington |
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From May 1-5, a group of HIV/AIDS advocates from New England,
along with two staff from AHC traveled to Washington, D.C. as part
of AIDS Watch 2005. The group consisted of ten people from
Massachusetts, three from New Hampshire, and two from Maine. They
met with staffers from all of their states' congressional and
senatorial offices to advocate for increased funding for HOPWA and
ADAP, and for reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act. On
Thursday, May 5, AIDS Watch culminated with a march from the Navy
Memorial to the front of the White House, where 8,500 pairs of
shoes were lined up to symbolize the 8,500 people worldwide who
die of AIDS daily. A rally followed the march.
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AIDS Action Committee Rental Assistance Program - important
changes on July 1st |
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As of July 1, 2005, there will be important changes to AIDS Action
Committee's Rental Assistance Program. This Massachusetts
statewide program provides 'Homeless Prevention' and 'Rental
Start-Up' funds for persons with HIV/AIDS through partnerships
with local AIDS service providers. Beginning July 1, AAC will no
longer be providing these resources in Western Massachusetts and
the Cape, and will be providing reduced services in Essex and
Worcester Counties.
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AHC launches AIDS Housing Taskforce |
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As part of a new advocacy effort, AHC has started an AIDS Housing
Taskforce email list to provide information on important housing
issues facing persons living with HIV/AIDS. Topics will include
updates on pending legislation, budgetary alerts, and information
about current advocacy efforts. For more information or to sign up
for the list, please email Matt Noyes at mnoyes@ahc.org.
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Massachusetts enacts law allowing landlords to bill tenants for
water |
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While rents have always included the cost of water, under a new
Massachusetts law landlords may now bill tenants separately for
water. Several conditions must be met in order to do so. A tenancy
must have started after March 16, 2005, and individual submeters
must be installed, among several other conditions.
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AHC announces 2005 award recipients
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Congratulations to Princilla Dias, Paul Fitzgerald,
Wendy Raubaugh and Susan Tannehill, the recipients
of AHC's 2005 Peter Medoff Recognition Award. On May 12th we
honored the award recipients for their extraordinary contributions
in response to the AIDS epidemic and for their commitment to
creating a world where people with HIV/AIDS can live with dignity.
In addition, this year's board of directors was sworn in. For more
on our 2005 Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony,
click here |
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