Supportive housing improves health of formerly homeless people with HIV/AIDS
That conclusion seemed clear to Bowen, assistant professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, during the four years she worked in a supportive housing program in Chicago, Illinois. Now as a UB researcher she has published a study that empirically supports what she experienced on the ground. "Supportive housing, a program of rental assistance and support services, is associated with improvements in the health outcomes of previously homeless people living with HIV/AIDS," she says. "Without stable housing it's hard to achieve these good health outcomes." The study, which appears in the journal AIDS Care , relied on biometric data that predicts how effectively the body combats the virus. Prior to publishing their journal article, the team presented their preliminary findings at the 2016 International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa. Bowen and her coauthors examined two indicators of health: CD4 count, sometimes called T-cells, w...