Housing Works, the US's largest provider of housing and services for people living with HIV/AIDS, is marking its 35th anniversary alongside New York's first licensed adult-use dispensary, Housing Works Cannabis Co (HWCC), which is in tandem celebrating three years of operation as the state's only 100% nonprofit cannabis dispensary.
Founded in response to the AIDS crisis and widespread government inaction, Housing Works has spent over three decades and multiple political administrations redefining how nonprofits can drive sustainable impact—pairing direct services, advocacy, and innovative retail models to fund life-saving programs. Through donations and innovative methods like auctioning off artwork from Banksy, the organization has raised millions dollars with notable accomplishments including advocating for HASA for All, which ensures low-income New Yorkers with HIV have access to lifesaving services including housing and benefits assistance, earning a Federally Qualified Health Center designation, creating "hotels" for the unhoused during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is currently working on The Lirio, its largest housing project to date in Hell's Kitchen.
"In the early days, our evidence-based advocacy positions were often met with political resistance. As a result, traditional funders were not inclined to support our life-saving HIV/AIDS work. And, while we are now almost 40 years into the AIDS pandemic, we continue to experience budget cuts and lack of access to capital as city, state and federal administrations shift," said Matthew Bernardo, President of Housing Works, Inc. "But when people are fighting for their lives, it forces innovation to support them. Housing Works is proof that nonprofits can create real, measurable impact for those who need it most."
Over the past three years, proceeds from HWCC have directly supported Housing Works' core mission by funding job training for individuals impacted by incarceration and HIV/AIDS, strengthening advocacy efforts at the city, state and federal levels, and supporting coalition-building initiatives that protect community engagement and public health programs including the Ryan White Program, The Affordable Care Act, and PEPFAR.
"Housing Works Cannabis Co is more than just a space to buy pre-rolls," says Sasha Nutgent, Vice President of Cannabis Retail at HWCC. "It's a community hub that proves that cannabis can create good in New York and that conscious consumption is a viable foundation for the cannabis industry."
For more information:
Housing Works Cannabis Co.
https://hwcannabis.co/
