The Empowerment Program

l justice system, substance abuse and violence, by providing onsite education, employment training, counseling, supportive services and long-term follow-up support services. Many of the women are homeless, are living with HIV/AIDS or are at high risk for HIV infection, are actively using drugs, are living with serious mental illness that is treated or untreated, are survivors of abusive relationships, or any combination of the above. We have provided street and community outreach activities since 1987. Support and education groups are provided in metropolitan area county jails, halfway houses for women leaving prison, shelters for homeless women and drug treatment programs. From 1993 to 1997, we provided Prevention Case Management services, through a cooperative agreement with CDC, focusing on African-American, Latinas and other women in the Denver metropolitan area whose behaviors placed them at high risk for HIV infection. In 1999, we conducted a Community Identification Project, in conjunction with Denver Public Health, to learn more about HIV transmission and African-American women and Latinas who use crack/cocaine. In response to the closure of the only community-based anonymous test site in Denver in 1998, in 1999, we began offering free, anonymous HIV tests at our offices.