Dear PWA Clients and Community Partners,
I am very pleased to announce that PWA’s Financial Assistance Program is reopened for the new fiscal year April 1st, 2020 – March 31st, 2021.
Access the Financial Assistance Guidelines here.
This year, we made two big changes to the Health and Wellness Fund. Firstly, we’ve increased the yearly total amount clients can receive from $275 to $300. Before, clients could receive a maximum of $275 in reimbursement for eligible expenses each year, but now clients can receive a total of $300.
Secondly, we removed the $150 yearly “cap” placed on some of the expenses eligible for reimbursement. Before you could only receive a yearly maximum of $150 in reimbursements for expenses like gym memberships, massages, educational expenses, medical devices, etc. But now, any expense eligible for the Health and Wellness Fund can receive a yearly maximum reimbursement of $300. Please note that the bi-yearly cap on winter clothing and the monthly medical cannabis caps are still in place in order to manage the program’s budget.
We made these changes based on the feedback we heard from people living with HIV/AIDS, including those who reviewed the program two years ago. We heard that financial assistance remains such an important need for people living with HIV. We also heard that the yearly $150 cap limited people’s ability to receive support for the expenses most important to them and made the program confusing.
All the other types of financial assistance including, the Positive Seniors’ Fund, the Positive Children’s Fund and the Holiday Children’s Gift Certificate programs, remain the same as is in previous years.
As we start off this new fiscal year in the midst of the Covid pandemic, PWA has focused on providing only essentials services. Financial Assistance continues to be one of our most essential services. We have prioritized keeping this program open and accessible for as long as our budget allows during these challenging times.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns – always happy to hear your feedback. You can reach me at (416) 506-1400 ext. 239 or at imcknight@pwatoronto.org.
Access the Financial Assistance Guidelines here.
Sincerely,
Ian McKnight
Director of Programs and Services