An agency that helps gay and bisexual Latinos on issues ranging from HIV to political asylum is saying if it doesn't get help from the city, it won't be able to survive.

Eduardo Morales, who has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology, said AGUILAS, which started in 1994, is unique. The name stands for Asociaci—n Gay Unida Impactando Latinos/Latinas A Superarse, or Association of United Gays Impacting Latinos/Latinas Toward Self-Empowerment.

"If this program disappears, you're not going to see this again for many, many years, if ever," Morales said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter on Friday, February 15.

He said the agency hopes to get some extra money from the city to keep it running until the end of the year, but he said the group needs about $150,000 to $170,000 a year in addition to what it's currently getting in order to be sustainable.

AGUILAS currently has 2.25 full-time positions and saw about 300 different people last year, Morales said. It has several paid consultants to help provide services and about 100 volunteers in order to keep costs down, he said.

At a news conference Tuesday, February 19 at the LGBT Community Center, Supervisor Tom Ammiano said that both he and Supervisor Bevan Dufty support the agency. Both supervisors are on the board's budget and finance committee, and Ammiano's working with Mayor Gavin Newsom. Petitions supporting AGUILAS were made available for people to sign. Morales said those petitions would go to the mayor's office.

Asked before the news conference about the fact that AGUILAS isn't the only group in the city asking for more money, Ammiano noted a rally was minutes away from starting at City Hall. There, people held signs that called for more money for nurses and mental health, among other issues.

"These things always take negotiation," Ammiano told the B.A.R. "[This is] part of the natural rhythm of the budget process." After the news conference started, he said, "This is not a time to nickel and dime any organization that does save lives."

Before the news conference, Jose Carlos Asencios – who also appears in drag as Garza – talked about how AGUILAS has helped him. Asencios, who's originally from Peru, said he was granted political asylum in the United States because of his homosexuality. He continues as a member and volunteer with the group. He said he also works with the HIV research section in the city health department's AIDS office.

He said AGUILAS helped him "realize as a human being, there's nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about for being gay."

Like many nonprofits, AGUILAS has been struggling.

Morales said around four years ago, the agency's budget was about $550,000. But around that time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the city's health department consolidated HIV prevention funds into one allocation. AGUILAS and other groups were at first left empty-handed, but in 2005 the city made more funding available. Since then, the group has been getting $243,000 a year, Morales said.

However, he said, that's short of the approximately $350,000 the group needs to sustain itself. He also estimated that the group likely won't be able to apply for funding again until around 2010.

So far, he said, AGUILAS has been able to stay open through finding private donations to fill the gap, but he said that's not enough to ensure survival. HIV doesn't get the attention that it used to, and the troubled economy is affecting donations, he said.

Morales said the Department of Public Health has been "very supportive and sympathetic."

The concern isn't that funding's going to be cut, but that the group needs more help to survive.

In a phone interview, Dr. Grant Colfax, the health department's director of HIV prevention, said, "We are committed to helping AGUILAS stay open and agree that it's critical that we serve the clients' needs, and we're actively trying to help AGUILAS stay open in this resource-limited environment."

Colfax said he couldn't comment on future funding. At the news conference, he emphasized the agency's funding has been stable since 2005 and the city's not looking at making any cuts to its funding.

On top of everything else, Morales said the building that houses AGUILAS has been sold, and they plan to move out by the end of March. He said finding a new location has been difficult, because prospective landlords want a commitment of three to five years.

Morales said one example of why the group is worth saving is that program evaluations have shown a 40 percent to 70 percent reduction in unprotected anal sex among people who were in the program for six months. He said the agency offers more expansive services than others, and it's been fiscally responsible.

Besides discussion groups and counseling on HIV prevention, AGUILAS also offers workshops on social justice issues such as political asylum and dealing with racism, and has offered retreats.

Morales said he believes the city has the money to help, it's just a matter of prioritizing. That's why his group is raising its voice.

"The squeaky wheel gets the most oil," he said.

For more information, visit www.sfaguilas.org.