Through GMHC’s Specialty Programs Department, clients can access nourishing food, jobs, healthcare, wellness activities – and, most of all, community and hope. The impact is huge: GMHC served more than 1,000 clients through these programs last year.
“Our clients come in needing something, whether it’s a job, health insurance, food, or nutrition counseling,” says Olivia Gaillard, Managing Director for Specialty Programs. “We are able to provide those services, and then they learn more about what’s available and take a yoga class or get a haircut,” “I love the work that we do. The community is very much in need of these services.”
Meals & Nutrition
When the federal government shut down on Nov. 1, 2025, over 1,225 food-insecure GMHC clients didn’t receive SNAP payments. As the SNAP cutoff fast-approached, our staff volunteers packed up hundreds of emergency pantry bags to provide all of our clients a month’s supply of shelf-stable food during the shutdown. We also expanded our regular lunch service from 800 meals per week to 1,000, serving a peak of 191 clients on Nov. 6.
Food is literally healthcare for people living with HIV. In a year marked by economic precarity, the Meals & Nutrition program kept our clients fed. It’s open to all lower income New Yorkers living with HIV and enrolls over 85% of our clients.
We served 1,486 clients 24,476 fresh-cooked, nutritious lunches last year in our dining rooms. For many it could be their only substantial meal of the day, says Gaillard. The most popular dish was coconut curry chicken or chickpea stew as a vegetarian option, served with garlic spinach and rice n’ peas for a complete meal.
For 389 deeply food-insecure clients, our Keith Haring Food Pantry distributed 2,624 bags of fresh produce, dairy, eggs, and pantry staples like tuna and pasta. We also provided 134 nutrition counseling sessions.
Workforce Development
Securing a job can be a struggle for our clients who’ve been out of the workforce for a while. Last year, the Workforce Development program assisted 135 clients, ranging from 18 to their 60s, on their employment journey
“It’s a very personalized journey for every client,” says Gaillard. “Our staff do an assessment of where clients are, as far as job history, education, skills, and work interests, then help develop a career plan and connect them to job opportunities.” That led to 31 new jobs for clients last year, ranging from social services, customer service and food service, to maintenance and security positions.
The Workforce team identifies ways to fill any gaps in skills and experience, such as earning a GED, gaining computer skills, or obtaining paid internships through the New York City Human Resources Administration or the Partnership for Inclusive Internships, which can turn into longterm jobs at city or state agencies.
Clients can gain computer skills through an on-site lab with 21 computers and a full-time SUNY lab technician to assist with Microsoft certifications and other training through a partnership with the SUNY Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking (ATTAIN) program. They also use the lab for job applications and Zoom interviews.
Access to Healthcare & Advocacy
Our five health benefits navigators helped 433 clients secure health insurance coverage last year. Our Advocacy team assisted an additional 174 clients living with HIV, helping them navigate confusing benefits and entitlement systems to secure healthcare, housing, and disability payments.
Our navigators can help any New York resident apply for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, while our Connect to Comprehensive Care program enrolls uninsured New Yorkers living with HIV in the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) for no-cost HIV medications and primary care. Then, enrollment specialists help these clients secure comprehensive coverage through the ADAP Plus Insurance Continuation Program (APIC), which pays private health insurance premiums, or Medicaid and Medicare.
We’re helping more New Yorkers secure health insurance through new collaborations with The Door, which serves NYC youth, and the New York Public Library. Our benefits navigators are visiting The Door’s locations four days a week and tabling every other Monday at the Stavros Library in Midtown Manhattan.
Wellness
The Wellness program is key to GMHC’s whole-person approach – and our on-site movement and creative arts classes, offered at no charge by volunteer instructors, have made a comeback since the COVID-19 shutdown. We added Hatha and Restorative yoga classes, painting courses — and haircuts — to the existing lineup of meditation, reiki meditation, and creative writing classes. “Our clients really enjoy them and benefit mentally, physically and emotionally, particularly if they’re experiencing stigma or social isolation,” says Gaillard.