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Conclusion
The Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, through its HIV/AIDS Advocacy Program, was successful in advocating for the legal rights of people living with HIV. The Community Advocates utilized by MPAS were integral in increasing the number of referrals made to MPAS. Consequently, there was increased awareness among community members about the legal rights of people with HIV.
Currently, there is a need for legal advocacy and information on the rights of people with HIV and AIDS in the state of Michigan. Legal advocacy provided by the MPAS program allowed for access to public and disability benefits and medical insurance, and it decreased discrimination in employment and housing for people with HIV. Unfortunately, there is currently no requirement in the state of Michigan for lawyers to provide pro-bono work. Therefore, it was challenging for the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service to encourage other lawyers to accept discrimination cases from people with HIV. However, this project was able to add 100 new attorneys to its attorney referral list, thus increasing the project’s referral network.
Impact litigation was an important factor and goal of the MPAS project for reducing discriminatory barriers which prevent people with HIV from receiving a full range of health and human services, including basic necessities such as housing. Unfortunately, there was not enough time, given the two-year grant funding of the MPAS program, to conduct as many litigation court cases as MPAS staff wanted to provide as many services as consumers needed.
The MPAS program achieved many successes in its two-year tenure. As with any program that attempts to provide advocacy to clients with HIV, MPAS encountered challenges as well; the most common frustration of project staff was the aforementioned lack of time and resources to combat the prejudices against and injustices faced by people with HIV. Other challenges included getting the word out about the program, involving non-HIV specific programs to sponsor training, and servicing its target populations, as the project was the only agency that provided free legal advocacy services in Michigan.
The Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service was one of two such legal advocacy projects funded by the HRSA Special Projects of National Significance Program. When comparing the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service with the Indiana Community AIDS Action Network (ICAAN), it is clear that there were both similarities and differences between the two agencies. Both agencies are unique in that they are two of only three agencies in the nation which provide free services state-wide. Both agencies demonstrated that there is great need for legal advocacy among people with HIV, as evidenced by the staff work overload and the great demand expressed by consumers. ICAAN and MPAS were both active in developing and expanding an attorney network of professionals who were sensitive to issues faced by people with HIV. Both agencies were intent on influencing policies in their state which affect people with HIV by blocking hostile policies and upholding beneficial ones.
The Indiana Community AIDS Action Network utilized a two-pronged approach, which consisted of prevention education and public policy advocacy to reach out to the Indiana citizens. This program aimed to mobilize and educate consumers to speak with legislators about their issues, and to prevent discrimination from occurring by educating potential discriminators such as employers and medical providers.
In contrast, to reach out to communities spread throughout the large geographic region of Michigan, the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service set up the Community Advocate Training Program to train Community Advocates on legal and advocacy issues. These trained volunteers were then matched with clients in need of these types of services within their community. These Community Advocates were provided with ongoing assistance and supervised by MPAS staff.
Legal advocacy is often misunderstood by institutions and individuals alike. Both ICAAN and MPAS staff were involved in discussions with other agencies involved with HIV issues about the importance in having legal advocacy available to people with HIV. While the need for case management or medical services for people with HIV is clear, many institutions and individuals, especially policy makers and funding sources, are unsure about the need for legal advocacy among people with HIV. Both ICAAN and MPAS demonstrated that without their services of legal advocacy, many people with HIV in their target populations would not have been able to get necessities such as housing or medical services. These types of agencies uphold the rights of individuals with HIV to receive these basic services which every person has a right to possess.
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