In cities and towns across the United States, community organizations have some of the most considerable impacts on the health and well-being of the community as a whole. This is especially true in Orlando, Florida, where Hope & Help improves lives and community health outcomes.
Since 1988, Hope & Help has provided the Central Florida area with testing and medical care resources, support groups, preventative care, and — perhaps most impactful — community connection. Although we are in an age where AIDS and HIV are no longer the death sentences they once were, the need for support in Central Florida remains crucial. As of 2021, studies showed that over 14,000 people in Orlando were living with HIV.
With Hope & Help at the forefront of community support initiatives, medical care, and preventative services, they are well on their way to lessening that number and, eventually, ending HIV and AIDS in Central Florida altogether.
A light in the darkness
Those of us who can remember the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis likely remember some dark days of uncertainty, rampant misinformation, and fear. Due to the fear, stigma, and unknowns that defined that period of time, many people with AIDS were cared for by their friends.
By the time a small group of friends gathered together to care for one of their own who was dying of AIDS in 1988, 46,000 people in the United States had died of the disease. That small group of friends who came together in 1988 formed the humble beginnings of Hope & Help.
Over the years, Hope & Help has evolved with the changing times. As therapies and preventative medicines such as PrEP became available, Hope & Help expanded their offerings and began offering education and support services to those most in need in the community, including those living with HIV and AIDS and their families.
Fighting stigmas and misinformation
Although society has grown by leaps and bounds since the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic, stigmas surrounding both HIV and AIDS and misinformation still abound. For Lisa Barr, Executive Director of Hope & Help, fighting those stigmas and misconceptions about HIV and AIDS is one of the primary purposes of their organization.
“We are constantly battling stigma, which is the real disease,” says Barr. Inaccuracies that have spread like wildfire online have fueled fear within certain communities that people believe are more susceptible to diseases, and even cultural norms have shaped the stigmas that persist.
Hope & Help has made education one of the cornerstones of their organization, always focusing on catering to the community’s diverse needs. Through their programs, people can learn how to protect themselves with free condoms and PrEP, get mental health support, primary care, and even gender-affirming care and HRT.
“We aim not just to talk the talk but walk the walk,” says Barr.
Better outcomes through community
Through community-based fundraisers, such as the upcoming A Walk For Change, Hope & Help is helping lead the way to better outcomes for communities most affected by HIV and AIDS. The organization’s impact on the Central Florida community has been palpable — especially for those most in need of help.
In 2023, Hope & Help gave over 4,800 HIV tests, distributed over 2,800 units of Narcan, and maintained five active support groups for diverse populations. Donations raised through individual gifts and large-scale community outreach allow Hope & Help to keep providing services and care that populations most in need may not be able to access elsewhere.
With their most recent fundraising effort, A Walk for Change, Hope & Help is partnering with other volunteer organizations in the Central Florida area to raise awareness and funds for their V-Sight Program, which provides free eye tests and two pairs of glasses to those living with HIV. For Barr and her team, providing top-notch care with compassion remains their mission with each new program they implement.
“We try to make every step of the healthcare journey and the support journey exceptional,” says Barr.
Coming into 2025, Barr is determined to grow Hope & Help’s community outreach efforts and continue to bring second-to-none care and preventative services to those who need them. With each gathering of a support group or HIV test given, Hope & Help is chipping away at the wall of misinformation and stigma that still surrounds those living with HIV and AIDS.
Over the last 30-plus years, the Orlando community has come to know Hope & Help as a place of compassionate care, comprehensive support services, and researched information. They continue to stand as an example of the power of community-based care for those living with HIV and AIDS in Central Florida.
