Asociación Esperanza Viva (ASEV) is Costa Rica's oldest grassroots charitable organization, offering services to HIV+ people and their families. Though it started as a women's support group in the 80s, they soon opened their doors to trans and nonbinary people, men and children.
ASEV offers free testing, educational programs, mentorship for people with new diagnoses, legal services to help process human rights complaints, and legal and material support to trans asylum seekers. They also lobby for greater legal protections for HIV+ and LGBTQI+ populations and aim to change the current problem of the centralization of medical treatment. Medical care is only available in San José, the capital, which leaves many people in rural areas with the enormous task of commuting up to 13 hours for their medical care - while ASEV isn't officially a shelter, they have several dormitories that serve as a temporary solution.
[project currently in progress]