Our History

In times of trouble, people have traditionally looked to their communities of faith for guidance and support. Because of stigma about HIV, faith communities have not always been a source of awareness and education and support relating to HIV. TIHAN was formed to engage and activate faith communities and other caring groups and individuals to become part of the solution.

Today, there are 36 million people living with HIV around the world, including 1.1 million people living with HIV in the US. Right here in Southern Arizona, an estimated 3,000 people are living with HIV.

In the 1980’s, a small group from one faith community began organizing a compassionate response as the disease began impacting members of its congregation. Saint Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church responded by caring for those who were sick. And they also responded by providing HIV education and advocacy. This effort increased understanding and support within the congregation, throughout other faith communities, and the greater Tucson area.

As people of faith, we believe that God’s reassuring and embracing presence reaches out to all those who are alienated and oppressed. We serve God and humanity by striving to emulate divine compassion, to seek justice and to provide service. This is our prophetic task.

—AIDS National Interfaith Network

As the church’s AIDS ministry grew and expanded beyond St. Francis, a steering committee was formed with representatives from other faith communities and agencies, and in 1994, the group formed the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN).

The group proclaimed a vision for reducing HIV stigma and increasing the level of support in Southern Arizona. “AIDS is a challenge, but it also represents an opportunity for communities of faith to respond with ministries of healing and hope, of concern and compassion. This disease challenges us to be healing communities, to respond from our deeply-rooted belief systems of caring for and affirming the dignity of all people. We are called to reach out with compassion rather than judgment, to foster awareness and education rather than fear, to support those living with HIV, to comfort the dying and the grieving, to respond in the face of suffering and pain, to act on the tenets of our faith.”

In its early days, TIHAN was supporting people with HIV in the end-stages of their disease. Like a hospice program, TIHAN supported people in being supported to die with love and dignity, training volunteers to provide a host of support services.

Since 1994, as additional treatments and medications for HIV became available, TIHAN’s mission of HIV education and support has continued, but its programs have grown and adapted to respond to changing needs. Today, TIHAN’s programs and volunteers provide support to help people living with HIV to live well, as well as continuing to work to end the stigma of HIV, increase understanding and dialogue, and engage more people, organizations, and faith communities to a compassionate response.