PositiveFaith peer support groups are communities of welcome
Empowering people living with HIV
Many of our members are on welfare benefits. Many have disabilities which prevent them from working. Many are asylum-seekers who are not allowed to work and have no recourse to public funds.
All are welcome at the table.
PositiveFaith Meeting London, anonymised.
When I was hungry did you give me something to eat? At each group meeting food is shared. Good nutrition is extremely important to live well with HIV – but many of our members live in poverty and are hungry.
Just like the feeding of the five thousand - usually there is some food to take-away for those in most need Over the course of this grant Porticus funds have contributed to providing approximately 4259 nutritious meals.
Our members volunteer to prepare a healthy meal to be shared.
PositiveFaith Members listen to each other & comfort those who are sad or in pain.
Approx. 70% of our members are Black PLWH - many African migrants to the UK. Each year 160-170 individuals receive direct (in-person) support.
We are people from diverse cultures with different experiences.
POSITIVE FAITH Members are from Great Britain and Ireland and every continent in the world. Heterosexual, Gay, women and men, younger and older PLWH. Some members were diagnosed in the last year – others in the early 1980s PositiveFaith assists refugees to access HIV treatment & adjust to life in a foreign land in practical and social ways.
Diversity is our strength. We learn from one another and prejudices are overcome.
Home visits to families and individuals offers pastoral support not usually provided by HIV sector agencies Trips to the seaside or picnics in the park supports families & builds a community of friends.
POSITIVE FAITH groups provide spaces for advice, education and learning new skills.
CAPS Board Member Dr Stuart Flanagan (HIV consultant) gives a presentation on Health & Healing in the context of Faith. How HIV medication works and how a person cannot pass on HIV if they adhere to treatment. He answered questions our members had and listened to their experiences of the NHS.
Photo: Extra Support group sessions have been held in 2024 to create a new HIV Patchwork Quilt. Members design a patch sharing their stories as they sew. A reflective & calming activity. We will display the PositiveFaith HIV Patchwork Quilt in 2025.
Over three years CAPS provided approx. 90 hardship grants of £50 - £250 for families & individuals for relief of poverty. Travel costs are covered for members who have no recourse to public funds (asylum seekers)
Over three years CAPS has supported 21 Asylum-seeking members.
Leters of support provide expert comment on persecution, HIV stigma, & the availability of medication in a person’s home country. Knowing each person well allows us to ‘validate’ a person’s claim for humanitarian protection.
Each time a member is granted leave to remain is a cause for celebration. We assist them with the next steps – accessing Universal Credit & finding a job. Learning English or finding educational courses.
