Though “Silence = Death” was the rallying cry for ACT UP in the 1980s and 90s, for Allies client Robert, when he was first diagnosed with HIV 35 years ago, silence meant safety.

“At the time, unfortunately because of the stigma that went along with people who were dying, I suffered in silence,” he said. “I lived with it and suffered with my fears in silence.”

When he moved to Pittsburgh around 2002, safety was still on Robert’s mind as he looked for community in a new town.

“I was looking for support, and I didn’t know of Allies and the kind of support they gave,” he said. A friend he met through Narcotics Anonymous suggested that the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force as it was known then would be a good place to start.

“My first experience was kind of scary, but it was filled with people who were guiding me through and informing me what was available to the community that it served,” Robert said. “I was told about the food pantry, I was told about if I needed any help with bills, if I had any health crisis going on. There were a lot of things at the time that I didn’t know about.”

While Robert has received treatment for his HIV with UPMC’s PACT Clinic, he has been getting case management from PATF/Allies since 2005.

“I wanted to find a community where I feel safe, and Allies has always made me feel that way,” he said, noting that Allies’ new location at 211 Tower in East Liberty offers a greater level of patient privacy.

“I think it’s one of the best private places you can be,” he said. “They’ve done a lot to protect the identity of the clientele. The environment is beautiful.”

Robert also appreciates the programming Allies staff put together for clients, and he attended an event for long-term survivors of HIV.

“The first thing I noticed was how we were greeted by the people who were facilitating it. How our privacy was still of concern, and then how they made us feel like we were home,” he said. “We were fed, and it was a nice question and answer session that I thought was real informative.”

It’s because of programs like this that Allies has become an important source of information for Robert.

“I have another place I can come if information was needed,” he said. “Before that, I just lived in silence. I did a lot of hoping and praying that nothing would happen to me. I can always call there and there is someone I can talk to, if I need to.”

Robert is grateful for the community he’s found at Allies, which extends beyond the staff he works with.

“Whoever is donating to the food pantry, whoever is making it possible … all that is helping me tremendously,” he said. “The security and the safety – Allies has given me that 100%, especially now. I am glad and grateful that you all are there.”