New York City Restores HIV/AIDS Cut

The administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently agreed to reverse most of a $1.88 million cut to housing programs for New York residents with HIV/AIDS. The restoration of three-quarters of the funding comes four months after the mayor and the City Council finalized the $63 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The housing program serves HIV/AIDS patients with mental health and substance abuse issues.

"I don't think this cut should have been in to begin with; but once it was and it was clear that things were not as we thought, there just shouldn't have been negotiations," said Christine Quinn, the council's speaker. Quinn began discussions with the administration on this issue in late June. "We were clear with the administration that our intent was for there to be no cuts. They knew that."

"We worked very closely with the council to provide as much funding as possible for this program," said Marc LaVorgna, a spokesperson for Bloomberg. "The remaining cut, $400,000, is frankly extremely small considering the size of the cuts we're being forced to make across city government."

Last month, the mayor ordered all city agencies to present budget cuts to fight a $3.3 billion deficit next fiscal year.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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