George House Trust is a registered charity that has been supporting people living with HIV in Greater Manchester and the wider North West since 1985. Our vision is for all people living with HIV to live happy and healthy lives and be free from stigma and discrimination. We aim to meet the changing needs of people newly diagnosed with HIV, living with HIV and ageing with HIV. HIV is no longer the disease that it was in the 1980’s when the epidemic first hit the UK and our services have changed accordingly: from helping people to die with dignity in the early days, to helping people live and age well and confidently with HIV today, free from stigma. Our core objectives reflect this:

• To support service users to be HIV confident and empowered through education and up to date information
• To address the multi-faceted and sometimes complex needs of people living with HIV beyond their clinical care; such as disclosure, relationships, money and debt, HIV-related discrimination, adherence to medication or emotional wellbeing.
• To reduce isolation through social activities and volunteering opportunities.
• To provide non-judgemental, compassionate, efficient and reliable advice and services.

Medical advances now mean that HIV is a manageable long term health condition when diagnosed early, but continuing levels of misunderstanding and a lack of up to date knowledge mean that HIV remains a highly stigmatised medical condition within our society. At George House Trust we offer a range of services to support people to live a positive and empowered life, helping them to increase their HIV knowledge and equipping them with the confidence to tackle stigma. Activities include: one-to-one advice, peer mentoring support, counselling, welfare support for destitute service users, support for people ageing with HIV, money and debt advice, HIV confident courses and social events.

We are a service user-centred organisation and promote the involvement of people living with HIV at every level, through regular consultation, volunteering, employment, Trusteeship and membership. 60% of our Board of Trustees, 30% of our staff and 55% of our volunteers are HIV+. This ensures HIV and the people affected by it remain at the heart of our choices.