HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust has relaunched a national Hardship Fund for people living with HIV in severe financial need. Funding has been secured from the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the M•A•C AIDS Fund, as well as via Terrence Higgins Trust’s annual Walk For Life fundraising event, to provide £1.5million of grants over a period of three years.

Through the Hardship Fund, Terrence Higgins Trust aims to make it as easy as possible for people with HIV to apply for financial support, should they need it. Applications can now be made through one of over fifty referral gateways across the UK, selected to represent a wide geographical spread and cover areas which have, historically, shown the greatest need. A full list of referral gateways can be found at www.myhiv.org.uk/News/Latest-news/The-Hardship-Fund.

To better identify applicants’ specific needs, the relaunched Hardship Fund has been split into three distinct funding streams:

• Necessity Fund: Offering payments of up to £150 to those who need help with day to day essentials, such as food, heating, or winter clothing.
• Transition Fund: Offering payments of up to £250 to those requiring one-off support during a major life change, such as moving to a new area or waiting for a new job to start.
• Family Fund: Offering payments of up to £150 to families, where a parent and/or a child has HIV. The Family Fund is designed to support families to meet one-off expenses, similarly to the Transition Fund.

Sir Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “At a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet, the Hardship Fund will provide invaluable support to those with HIV in greatest need. Alongside stigma and discrimination, poverty is a major issue affecting many people with HIV. In fact, research tells us nearly one in three have ongoing problems getting enough money to live on.

“Grants made through the Hardship Fund might be used to help someone with basic requirements like food or winter clothing. But perhaps just as importantly, they will give Terrence Higgins Trust and our partner agencies a stronger link with those in greatest need of support, allowing us to work closely with them in the long-term to improve their situation.”

The previous Hardship Fund, operated by HIV charity Crusaid, was closed in March 2010. When the two charities merged, Terrence Higgins Trust made a commitment to preserve its legacy, and set about constructing a new system of funding that would work as efficiently as possible for its beneficiaries. During this period, Terrence Higgins Trust also provided grants through an interim fund.

For enquiries about the Hardship Fund, including how to make an application, please call (020) 7812 1682, or email hardshipfund@tht.org.uk. Anyone who is living with HIV and in financial difficulty can call THT Direct on 0808 802 1221 to receive free and anonymous advice on their situation.

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Notes to editors

1. Since its establishment in 1993 by founder Sir Elton John, the Elton John AIDS Foundation (UK) has grown from funding solely domestic programmes, to providing grants in 15 countries across 4 continents. To date we have raised over £91million, which has been used to support more than 1,200 projects. Our funding has also helped to leverage another USD$355m for our programme partners, enabling them to reach millions of people infected, affected or at risk of HIV/AIDS. EJAF’s  mission is to provide focused and sustainable funding to frontline programmes that help to alleviate the physical, emotional and financial hardship of those living with, affected by or at risk of HIV/AIDS, and to continue the fight against this worldwide pandemic. www.ejaf.com. Since 1997, here in the UK we have provided over £3 million to programmes supporting people living with HIV who are experiencing financial hardship and food poverty. In addition we have a further commitment of £1.3 million over the next few years.
2. The M•A•C AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of M•A•C Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. The M•A•C AIDS Fund is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working with underserved regions and populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical giver in the arena, the M•A•C AIDS Fund is committed to addressing the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS by supporting diverse organizations around the world that provide a wide range of services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The MAC AIDS Fund has raised £6 million (GBP) in the U.K. and $235 million (USD) globally exclusively through the sale of M•A•C’s VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS. For more information visit http://www.macaidsfund.org.
3. Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s largest HIV and sexual health charity with centres across England, Scotland and Wales. We're here to provide information and advice about HIV and sexual health and offer a range of services including sexual health checks, counselling and support groups. We campaign for a world where people with HIV live healthy lives, free from prejudice and discrimination, and we promote good sexual health as a right and reality for all. Visit www.myhiv.org.uk, our new site for everyone living with HIV in the UK, for accredited information, self management tools, interactive web services and community forums. Terrence Higgins Trust relies on donations to deliver a wide range of services. To make a donation, or to find out about everything that we do visit www.tht.org.uk