Monthly Hillcrest House Dinner Service
KPUMC volunteers serve a monthly dinner at Hillcrest house. This ministry began with the heart of longtime member Cecil Tarver in the late 1990’s and continued due to Jeff Chandler’s compassion for our neighbors. This serves as one of the many tangent examples of Jeff’s service to our community. He was very good about reaching out to groups in the church and community to carry out this mission.
Hillcrest House History
Hillcrest House is managed by AIDS services of Dallas (ASD), a local non-profit that provides services to some of the 9,000 people living with HIV or AIDS in Dallas county. ASD specifically provides housing and support services for low income and homeless individuals and families living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS.
The mission of ASD is to create and strengthen healthy communities through the delivery of quality, affordable, service-enriched housing for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. ASD’s mission includes advocacy, education, and the development of affordable housing options and community development opportunities, both for its residents living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS, and for economically disadvantaged people.
Hillcrest House Funding
With an annual operating budget of more than $5.3 million, ASD operates its four apartment complexes, which are licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services to serve 225 men, women and children in 152 bedrooms within 125 privately configured apartments.
The US Health and Human Services Administration administers a grant fund named after Ryan White, a teen who died of AIDS in 1990. From this fund, Dallas County receives roughly $17 million dollars each year to help support about a dozen local nonprofits that provide health care, meals, transportation and other services to patients who are poor. ASD is one of these beneficiaries.
Looking into the Future
Although medicine has come a long way since AIDS was first recognized in the 1980s, the number of new HIV infections has remained relatively constant in recent years, instead of decreasing sharply. According to data from Texas Health and Human Services, in Dallas County, new HIV cases jumped from 874 to 894 in 2014 before decreasing to 811 in 2018.
Dallas County hopes to benefit from the Trump administration's "Ending the HIV Epidemic" plan in 2030. The administration is seeking to funnel an additional $291 million to 48 targeted regions and counties, including Dallas and Tarrant counties, to help local governments to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Recently the City of Dallas was awarded nearly $750,000 out of $25 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's fund to provide housing assistance and other services to people with HIV. Increased funding is earmarked for the county to expand outreach staff and screenings in places among at-risk populations such as the homeless and those who are behind bars.
As these efforts are manifested, KPUMC will continue with its ministry of providing food for this vulnerable group of people. If you aren’t already involved and would like to be, contact Colleen Kelley (214-536-1397 or colleen.kelley1978@gmail.com). Thank you again for your compassion and commitment!