Services at ACT for people living with HIV

If you are living with HIV, ACT has a wide range of free programs and services to help you improve your health.

You can download "ACT's Services for people with HIV - Quick Reference Guide" at the bottom of this page.

ASO411

ASO411 is an online mapping tool that provides access to up-to-date information about HIV-related services in Canada for people who need to access programs and services. Visit www.aso411.ca
    This is a partnership with the Toronto HIV/AIDS Network's Information and Access Working group.
Buddy Program

Feeling isolated? ACT can connect you with a 'buddy' - a volunteer trained to provide ongoing friendly support. Call 416-340-8484 ext. 219 for more information.
Case Management

Case management is available to people living with HIV who have complex or multiple needs. This program provides advocacy and assistance navigating the health and social service system. After completing a needs assessment, the case manager will work together with you to set short and long term goals. To access case management call 416-340-2437 and ask to make an appointment with a case manager.
Community Health Forums

Offered throughout the year, these free forums are held on a range of topics of interest to people living with HIV/AIDS. They usually consist of panel presentations and discussions with community and medical experts. Call 416-340-8484 ext. 219 to find out about the next Forum.
Counselling

We provide free, confidential counselling to anyone who is living with HIV. Counsellors will meet with you at ACT, over the phone, or in other locations, such as coffee shops. There is no need to give a real name if anonymity or confidentiality is a concern. Couples counselling, grief/bereavement counselling, and counselling for a partner of someone with HIV, are all available. To book an appointment call 416-340-2437 or drop by ACT: a counsellor is available - without an appointment - on a first come first serve basis, Monday - Friday. See the schedule for availability here.
Discussion Groups

Discussions groups for gay men (including our popular "One Night Stand" groups and Queer Tarot) are held throughout the year. These groups are open to all gay men, regardless of HIV status.
Employment Services

Employment Action is dedicated to providing employment options for people living with HIV. This program offers career exploration, benefits counselling, skills upgrading, competitive resumes and interview coaching along with job search, placement and retention follow-up services. For a confidential appointment call 416-623-1782 or visit our website at www.employmentaction.org

Gay Men's Community Education and Outreach


We provide HIV, STI and sexual health promotion training sessions, workshops and discussion groups for gay and bisexual men, and we provide training sessions for service providers who work with gay and bisexual men. We also develop sexual health campaigns and other information resources, and make available free condoms and lubricant at places where gay men meet. For more information, call 416-340-8484 ext. 247 or ext 254.

Gay Men's Online Outreach


We provide HIV/STI and hepatitis C information and referrals online reaching diverse communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, including trans men, via social and sexual networking sites (SNS). Look for ACT_outreach on gay.com, or ACTonlineOutreach on squirt.org or email your questions to: onlineoutreach@actoronto.org. Find out when we will be online here!
Health Promotion Groups and Classes

Throughout the year, we offer different kinds wellness-related groups and classes, at no charge . Call 416-340-2437, or check out our webpages.
Hot Lunch Programs

We offer two weekly free, nutritious and delicious hot meals in a confidential and supportive environment each Thursday and Friday. Advance registration is required for both. Thursday’s “Good Company Lunch” is for people with HIV who face specific health challenges. Friday’s “Meet and Eat” is open to all people living with HIV. Call 416-340-8484 ext 210 for more information, and to register.
HIV/AIDS Community Calendar

This on-line calendar is a monthly listing of wellness programs and events for people living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto. To view the Calendar, click here.
    This is a partnership with the Toronto HIV/AIDS Network's Information and Access Working group.
Income Tax Clinic

ACT has qualified income tax consultants to help you complete your income tax return, if you are an HIV-positive single person with a total income not exceeding $45,000, or part of a spousal couple. We can help with single or multiple-year returns. Unfortunately, we can’t complete returns for self-employment income, rental income, bankruptcies, business returns, capital gains or taxes from outside Ontario. For more information call 416-340-8484 ext. 219. To book an appointment call 416-340-2437.
Insurance Benefits Clinic

Volunteers from the insurance industry meet one-on-one for confidential consultations regarding insurance benefits. Call 416-340-2437 to book an appointment.
Men’s Retreat

We offer men living with HIV/AIDS an opportunity to leave the city to meet their peers and learn strategies for improving their health. Call 416-340-8484 ext. 283.
Positive Youth Outreach (PYO)

Peer support for HIV-positive people age 29 and under. Call 416-340-8484 ext. 281, email pyo@actoronto.org or visit PYO's website. Weekly support drop-in is held each Thursday, 4:00-8:00pm. Call for more info and to let us know you want to attend the drop-in.
Service Access

Service Access Coordinators and Information desk volunteers provide friendly support and assistance in directing individuals to staff, provide information and make referrals by phone, email and in person. Call 416-340-2437 or email ask@actoronto.org.
Social Support Network

The Social Support Network provides monthly social outings at minimal cost to those living with HIV/AIDS. To find out about upcoming events, or to register, call 416-340-8484 ext. 230.
Support Groups

Groups offer a safe and confidential space to meet others living with HIV and talk about what’s happening in your life. We offer groups specifically for gay men, as well as groups open to all living with HIV regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Support Groups are offered three times a year — fall, winter and spring. To find out about upcoming groups, call 416-340-8484 ext. 283. Or you can speak to an on-call counsellor by calling 416-340-2437 or coming to our office, and say you want to learn more about upcoming support groups.
TowelTalk: Bathhouse Counselling program

TowelTalk is a free, professional counselling program for gay and bi men in Toronto bathhouses. Now you can talk to a counsellor when you feel like talking to someone at the bathhouse. Go to our website (www.actoronto.org/toweltalk) and check out his schedule, or ask at your bathhouse of choice. For more information call 416-340-8484 ext. 289.
Women's Coffee Night

This monthly informal gathering for HIV-positive women is held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 6:00 - 8:00pm. Call 416-340-8484 ext. 239 for more information.
Women's Community Kitchen

This is a monthly opportunity for women with HIV/AIDS of African and Caribbean descent to gather, share food and talk. Call 416-340-8484 ext. 239 for information and location.
    The Women's Community Kitchen is a partnership program between the AIDS Committee of Toronto, the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, and Africans in Partnership Against AIDS.
Women's Retreat

We offer women living with HIV/AIDS an opportunity to get out of the city, meet their peers, and learn strategies for improving their health. Call 416-340-8484 ext. 283.
Youth Retreat:

We offer youth living with HIV/AIDS an opportunity to get out of the city, meet their peers, and learn strategies for improving their health. Call the Positive Youth Outreach program at 416-340-8484 ext. 281.

Programs and Services offered in partnership with VIVER (Portuguese-speaking HIV/AIDS Coalition):
      Programa de Serviços Sociais de VIH/SIDA (HIV/AIDS):

      Serviços Sociais para todos os assuntos relacionados com o VIH-HIV (SIDA-AIDS), para clientes e famílias de expressão Portuguesa. Oferecemos o suporte necessário para alcançar seus objectivos. Todos os serviços do ACT são oferecidos em regime confidencial. Para mais informação, contacte 416-340-8484 ext. 221 e/ou www.actoronto.org/portugues. Available to Portuguese-speaking clients and their families, our case managers work with people living with HIV/AIDS to help them manage their health and social support needs.
ACT's Services for People with HIV: Quick Reference Guide:


ACT Services for People with HIV Quick Reference_March 2011.pdf148 (Kbytes)