|
 
|
HIV Prevention
Kids who are living on the street for whatever reason are at high risk
of infection with HIV. In the absence of job skills they may turn
to prostitution to support themselves. Without the prospect of safety
they may seek escape through drug use. The best way to ensure their
bright futures is to bring them off the streets and help them recover
from the exploitive pasts that led them to these risky behaviors in the
first place. As they rebuild their lives with the support of Larkin
Street Youth Services, they also gain the skills and knowledge they need
to protect themselves by participating in our comprehensive HIV prevention
program.
Young people of different ages, coming from different backgrounds and situations,
have individual needs. LSYS offers a range of prevention methods throughout
all of our programs to ensure that every one of them benefits: individual
outreach; one-on-one risk reduction counseling; conveniently accessible
drop-in groups; ongoing classes and workshops; and employment training to
give them safe options for supporting themselves. Approximately 525
youth receive LSYS HIV prevention services through outreach or referral
every year. Every single one of them is linked to other support they
need within our spectrum of services.
We offer all of our interventions from a harm reduction perspective. Harm
reduction is a nonjudgmental philosophy that allows young people to have
input into their own recovery plans and gives them skills to prevent HIV
no matter where they are in their journey off the streets. With Larkin
Street’s HIV prevention services, kids can change their behaviors,
maintain their health, and focus on the bright futures that lie ahead of
them all.
- 240 young people were given HIV tests at our Sutter St. medical clinic
last year.
Back
Programs Home
|
