The first AIDS service organization in Canada.

AIDS Vancouver was founded in 1983 as the first AIDS service organization in Canada. The agency was formed in response to an emerging disease that was starting to infect and affect local communities in Vancouver, specifically gay men. From our beginning, AIDS Vancouver evolved with the progression of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This evolution has made our service delivery and program development relevant and innovative today.

While setting standards for excellence in program and service delivery, we work with policy makers to address complex legal, ethical and socioeconomic issues. The principles of Health Promotion, Harm Reduction, Community Based Research, Community Development and Volunteerism guide and direct us.

Mission and Mandate of AIDS Vancouver

For the past 25 years, AIDS Vancouver has been at the forefront of community response to the epidemic here in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Over 25 paid staff and 200 volunteers strive to provide a comprehensive and integrated range of health promotion, education, and support services.

Mission Statement

AIDS Vancouver exists to alleviate individual and collective vulnerability to HIV and AIDS through support, public education and community based research.

Our Core Values

• We believe people should be treated with dignity and respect at every stage of their life.
• We believe people living with HIV/AIDS have the right to determine the direction of their own lives.
• We respect diversity, privacy and confidentiality.
• We believe in fostering the development of relationships that mutually benefit AIDS Vancouver and its partners.
• We believe the participation of individuals infected with HIV and communities affected by HIV and AIDS is critical to all aspects of a humane and ethical response to the epidemic.
• We believe that reducing vulnerability to HIV infection and AIDS requires societal and structural changes to the causes of political, social and economic inequality.

What We Do

AIDS Vancouver works in the community, regionally and nationally, with our integrated approach to care and support, prevention and harm reduction. We also provide support and leadership to numerous other local AIDS service organizations (ASO's), through project management, administrative assistance and coalition partnerships. We offer a comprehensive range of services. To name but a few, we have intensive and long-term case management, support programs, a grocery program, confidential helpline, an information & resource centre housing one of Canada’s greatest HIV/AIDS related collections, as well as education, prevention and community outreach programs. More than 3,000 individuals - roughly one out of every three British Columbians who live with HIV disease - have connected with our case management and client support services.