AIDS Service Center

AIDS Service Center (ASC) provides HIV-related services to individuals and families throughout Los Angeles County. Services include food, housing, transportation, comprehensive care management, prevention education, mental health and advocacy.

How do you help people in my community?

AIDS Service Center provides comprehensive services to people affected by AIDS/HIV throughout  Los Angeles County, including mental health counseling, access to benefits, housing, transportation, food, legal assistance and home health services. Our prevention and education programs serve over 7,000 people annually. ASC also acts as an advocate on HIV-related issues on the local, state and national levels.

We serve all communities and do not discriminate based on ones skin color, sexual orientation or financial status.  28% of our clients are African American, 45% of our clients are Hispanic (with 50% of these being monolingual Spanish speaking only)

Why do you need my support?

The majority of donations to AIDS Service Center are made by generous individuals like you. Our private fundraising efforts account for just under $1million a year. ASC uses the combined power of these gifts to provide vital services to more than 1,200 people affected by HIV and AIDS throughout Los Angeles County annually.

As new therapies emerge, enabling our clients to live longer, more productive lives, AIDS Service Center will rely on the generosity of its donors to provide increased support to our clients over a longer period of time. As the face of AIDS changes the disease moves from a terminal disease to a manageable disease.  There is however, still no cure.  And with the new and improved medications, people are living longer.  This provides new challenges.  Current challenges revolve around kidney, liver, diabetes, pulmonary and other non AIDS related issues, due to the long term affects of the virus and the medications. 

With the advent of the newer, more effective medications, few deaths are happening, which diminishes the urgency and therefore complacency. The highest rates of increase in HIV are in our heterosexual youth population, specifically the ages of 17-24, concentrated on African American females.  The misperception from our youth that if one gets sick, they’ll just take a pill and be fine is too prevalent.  They also don’t see it in the media as much, so awareness becomes more limited.  With STD’s on the rise (the first time in almost 40 years), so does the chances of one contracting the HIV virus.

Our goal is not to become bigger, but to continue to provide a better quality of life for our clients living with HIV/AIDS and to reach as much of the community as we can with our Prevention and Health Education message as we can.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

As one of the key AIDS Service Organizations in Los Angeles County, AIDS Service Center is a highly efficient, client-centered agency. Our dedicated Board of Directors includes 17 men and women and is representative of the diversity of the community. ASC's staff of 40 employees is assisted by more than 500 volunteers who donate over 10,000 hours of service annually. Our fund raising expenses are less than 20% of ASC's total $4 million budget. We are audited annually to ensure that the highest standards in management are met. We take pride in the services that we provide and invite you to visit us and see first hand our work in the community.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Volunteer opportunities exist throughout our agency; Special Events, administrative support, food distribution, community speaker forums, board of director participation and more.  If you are interested in volunteering, contact Bill Stadler, our Volunteer Resources Manager at (626) 441-8495 ext. 227 or by e-mail at wes@aidssc.org.