Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Scope and Content
Organizational History
Descriptive Summary
Title: AIDS Service Providers Association,
Date (inclusive): 1987-1993
Collection number: MSS 93-36
Creator: AIDS Service Providers Association
Extent: Volume: 2 cubic feet
Repository:
University of California, San Francisco. Library. Archives and Special Collections
San Francisco, California 94143-0840
Shelf location: For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], AIDS Service Providers Association, MSS 93-36, Archives &
Special Collections, UCSF Library & CKM
Scope and Content
Agency records suffer from the effects of several changes of administrators and office
managers; subsequent inconsistencies are evident in the creation, arrangement and
preservation of files. While some series are incomplete, they do possess research value.
The files have been arranged by function, then by chronology.
Some ASPA records document significant trends in the service provider community, among
these are files that record the development of public policy, initiation of workshops to
confront problems common among service providing agencies, and joint lobbying efforts.
The series of member surveys is also notable, particularly the swiftly conducted
investigation of damage to AIDS organizations from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Among the correspondence is a letter dated Oct 14, 1992 from a Susan Penner which
accompanies her report on a survey she conducted of 80 service agencies during 1991/92.
Her results, including CEO's attitudes towards the consolidation of certain
administrative functions among agencies, will be of interest to researchers studying
administrative costs of providing AIDS-related services. In general, the correspondence
files provide some information about the cultural and political interactions among
administrators of AIDS agencies. Other notable contents include the three editions of the
HIV Referral Directory (1990, 1992, 1993) as well as a survey of
volunteers and a survey of 102 AIDS agencies and their positions on issues of public
policy. A final file of interest is the remarkable "Housing Rights" document compiled by
PWA Gary Harmon after he was denied federally subsidized housing in Oakland.
The records include planning and founding documents, minutes, correspondence, surveys,
reports, workshop and training files, and publications.
Organizational History
The
AIDS Service Providers Association (ASPA) was a major conduit of
information among service providers during its brief, five year existence. Its mission
states that ASPA "promotes collaboration and coordination among AIDS service and
community-based organizations in the eleven-county San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas,
and promotes advocacy on behalf of the AIDS service community".
It was started (initially as
BAYCARE) in 1988 by Bob Munk,
then deputy director of the
Names Project, to network and coordinate
fundraising among AIDS organization in San Francisco. Nancy DeStefanis
followed Munk as Executive Director from 1990-1992. Tim Wolfred stepped in
as acting Director in March of 1992, remaining in that position until a declining
membership and lack of funds forced its termination in June of 1993. A twelve member,
elected Board of Directors served to formulate policy, appoint and supervise staff, and
oversee operations. In addition to the Executive Director, staff generally consisted of
one person, who acted as office manager and membership coordinator. ASPA's major
contributions were publication of its newsletter and directory, coordination of public
policy and advocacy, and the provision of technical assistance to AIDS agencies.