History
In 1982, a group of San Franciscans came together to pay bills for their friends who were too ill to work because of their battle with a mysterious disease. As more of their friends grew sick, many faced job loss, eviction and staggering medical bills. That small team of volunteers formed the AIDS Emergency Fund and dedicated it to the task of compassionately providing emergency financial assistance to those impoverished by the new disease. During the early years of AIDS hysteria and paranoia, AIDS Emergency Fund became the major agency in the Bay Area that helped people pay their bills or keep their homes after being fired from their jobs at the merest suspicion of HIV or AIDS. Thanks to medical break-throughs in the mid-1990s, many people live much longer with HIV and AIDS. However, they often face years of poverty and disability. AEF is one of their few sources of financial assistance during times of crisis.
Specialties
Since the beginning of the epidemic in 1982, AIDS Emergency Fund has been responding compassionately to the HIV/AIDS crisis by providing immediate, short-term financial assistance. Your support helps low-income people disabled by HIV/AIDS continue vital medical treatments, avoid utility shut-off and prevent eviction or homelessness.