No. 14 of 20 Most Amazing HIV-Positive Women: Valerie Reyes–Jimenez

Through having served on President Clinton’s Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS, working as an organizer for Housing Works, and sitting on the board of Praxis Housing Initiatives (New York City’s largest provider of transitional housing to homeless people with HIV),Valerie Reyes-Jimenez has become an expert in the intersection of HIV and homelessness. And she got there from the inside, as a onetime client of Housing Works, whose mission is to “end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.”

“Valerie Reyes-Jimenez is an incredible woman who’s been a grassroots advocate for people living with HIV or AIDS for decades,” says HIV Law Project attorney Alison Yager. She’s been helping people dealing with HIV as well as homelessness or addiction all the while becoming a pro at advocacy, public policy, grassroots organizing, and lobbying.