Recovery Residences Are an Innovative Site for HIV Prevention Interventions Targeting People Who Inject Drugs: Preliminary Data From Project HOMES.

Abstract

Of 1.2 million Americans who would benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), only 36% were prescribed PrEP in 2023. Project HOMES is an ongoing study that evaluates recovery residences for individuals in medication-assisted recovery from opioid use disorder across five Texas cities. Behavioral and psychosocial survey data and biomarkers were collected with a focus on the history of HIV testing, PrEP awareness, and willingness to engage in preventive treatments from a subsample of participants. Preliminary results demonstrated varying levels of HIV testing (83%), PrEP awareness (51%), and willingness to use PrEP (44%) among residents. Willingness to use PrEP was further differentiated by the method of administration, including the preference for pills (40%) and injections (40%). The findings underscore the critical role that recovery residences could play in PrEP access and addressing health care disparities among people with a history of injecting drugs.