Our support services empower people to live well with HIV. This includes support on physical and mental health wellbeing and other factors that impact people’s lives such as financial and welfare issues.

Hardship Fund

Our Hardship Fund offers small grants to people living with HIV in the UK who are in severe financial need. The Fund aims to support those clients who are experiencing the greatest level of hardship, such as with basic living expenses, a period of ill health, change in accommodation, or losing a job.

Since 2019 to date, out of 943 individuals who’ve applied to the Hardship Fund, 535 (57%) were from Black communities.

Work and skills

Supporting people living with HIV into meaningful work is a priority for us. Through one-to-one mentoring, online learning and webinars, we help participants who have been out of work to build confidence, learn new skills, apply for and secure work. The programme can also help people living with HIV to set professional development goals and change careers.

Between April 2018 to March 2020, a third of participants in our work programme were from Black communities.

THT Direct

THT Direct is our national helpline where our advisers provide information and emotional support if individuals are worried about their sexual health or have concerns about living with HIV. We help them access local services across the UK, whether provided by us or by someone else.

Individuals can contact us to find out about:

From April 2019 to June 2021, THT Direct handled nearly 21,150 enquiries. 1,750 individuals (8.3%) identified as from Black or mixed Black ethnicities.

Support groups

My Community Forum

My Community Forum is a free, welcoming online safe place to meet other people living with HIV in UK. Moderated by peers living with HIV, members of the forum can share knowledge and experience with others and ask any questions you may have about living well with HIV. We cover all topics from your rights to healthy eating. Members can chat via private message and group message to give or receive peer support.

Here in Vitality

Here in Vitality is a workshop for people living with HIV to help them address the challenging aspects of their diagnosis, identify strengths and resilience, unpack terminology and its impact, and to increase self-acceptance. It was successfully delivered to people from Black communities in southern England in partnership with Africa Advocacy Foundation.

Living Well (Scotland)

In August 2024 Living Well (Scotland) were delighted to secure funding from the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) to improve the lives of those living with a blood borne virus with a focus on HIV as they grow older.  The GO! (Growing Older) with HIV project funding is vital to ensure we build and develop strength in our community, and that they have opportunities to be involved, learn and share information, gain new skills, and be prepared for the future. 

We have co-designed with our volunteers, a diverse range of workshops and activities for GO! (Growing Older) with HIV to enhance people’s skills, make them more resilient, arm them with skills and knowledge to face older age. There will be a variety of workshops on ageing, including ageing well: to include living well, diet, exercise and relationships, preparing for older age. Relationships, Financial and digital inclusion, benefits, planning ahead,  accessing care and Here in Vitality. We will also cover support/training/sessions for Partners, Friends, Family and Unpaid careers.

We actively seek to engage those lost to care, our migrant population, recovery organisations to participate in this project.  

We offer:

  • One-to-one support
  • Lived experience support groups.
  • Access to our online platform My Community
  • Welfare and benefits advice
  • Living Well drop-ins
  • Learning Opportunities
  • Special events
  • Volunteering opportunities

Some of our support volunteers are also involved in our National Living Well support, many of them are moderators on our safe, secure online My Community platform. Here they connect and support their peers throughout the UK. 

We are working in partnership with a wide range of partners for those growing older with HIV or other blood borne viruses, to bring information sessions and workshops to support those living with HIV as they grow older.