Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (aka H.I.P.S.) is a DC based organization that gives compassionate aid to prostitutes in the form of condoms, AIDS education, food, clothing, and advocacy.

They have a 24-hour hotline for women in trouble, and run a van service from which they distribute legal information on dealing with police, candy for elevation of the blood sugar of women who are denied food "on the track", and condoms of all kinds.

They also run a series of AIDS educational sessions complete with a hot meal called DIVAS Against AIDS.

They perform social services and case management of women in trouble.

H.I.P.S. runs under a philosophy they call "harm reduction," in that they cultivate a positive self image among prostitutes, aid them in survival, aid them in escaping pimps and getting back on their feet, and help them know their legal rights.

Oftentimes prostitutes are treated as less than people by police and others. H.I.P.S. looks beyond the stigma and reaches out with compassion to prostitutes as women and as human beings.

Contact Info:

Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive
P.O. Box 21394
Washington, DC 20009
phone: 202.232.8150 fax: 202.232.8304
HOTLINE: 1-800-676-HIPS
http://www.hips.org
hipsinc@erols.com

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.