An open letter to the trustees of the Terrence Higgins Trust
November 25th 2011 Dear Trustees, I have lived with an HIV diagnosis in the UK since 2002. I am troubled by what has, or more accurately has not, happened with the Hardship Fund at THT, since the charity merged with Crusaid in mid-2010. Prior to that, the Fund was the main form of financial help available from the voluntary sector, targeting positive people who presented with severe HIV-related economic difficulties. I am troubled because in June 2010 (the day after that year’s Walk for Life fundraiser) the merger was much-trumpeted as being the best way forward, to ensure vital services of povertyrelief would be protected for people living with HIV and AIDS in the UK. Some 18 months on, however, there is barely a limp effort at granting only very small tranches of money to people in need. Repeated promises concerning the full re-opening of the Fund have gone unfulfilled. Timelines are regularly moved back; people in need are left wanting; small local support agencies have been overwhelmed by people in need seeking emergency money. Demand is undoubtedly greater than it’s ever been during the fund’s 25 year history, yet the goalposts around re-opening are constantly changed. The latest advice issued is to anticipate a reopening of the Fund sometime in early 2012. Of real concern to anyone interested in 16 Winter 2012
supporting the most vulnerable, should be the response from major funders of the Hardship Fund. For example, what is happening to the monthly five-figure sum that one of the Sainsbury’s family of charities (Monument Trust) has been ploughing into the Fund since summer 2010? Equally, what is the Elton John AIDS Foundation doing about its position? Previously EJAF was the single largest funder of the Hardship Fund over many years. Since the THT/Crusaid merger, they have apparently pledged continued support, only to stall time and again over a protracted period. At the same time, an EJAF-funded THT website has been launched amid a huge fanfare. Purportedly aimed at revolutionising online support for positive people, it has cost an eyewatering seven-figure sum to develop and implement. The third main backer of the Fund, MAC AIDS Fund, seems to be awaiting the next move of the other players, prior to promising any further commitment from its New York office. I am not for a moment suggesting that shortcuts be taken, or anything other than robust systems be in place around monitoring and evaluation of the Fund’s activity. But how long does it take to get a fully-operational fund up and running? How many more delays will there be?