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How do I find HIV support groups near me?

Answered in plain language, anchored to CDC, HIV.gov, and NIH.

Last reviewed:

Educational resource — General information for learning and support. Check the linked sources and organizations for current policies, services, and eligibility when relevant.
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Ask your HIV clinic or case manager about local peer groups, and use HIV.gov’s locator to find agencies that may offer support or referrals. If local meetings are hard to reach, explore online communities such as the POZ Forums or, for eligible younger people, Positive Peers. Check a group’s audience, meeting schedule and privacy practices before joining; public forums are not confidential spaces.[1][2][3][4]

Route one: search your ZIP code

HIV.gov’s locator lists care and related services, including mental-health, housing and substance-use resources. A listing can lead you to an agency that knows local groups; it is not a complete directory of peer meetings. Call the organization to ask what groups are active and whether registration is required.[1]

If the nearest listing is an hour away, that is worth knowing too — it tells you to look harder at online options rather than assuming support does not exist for you. The same locator also maps housing and substance use services, so one search can cover more than one need[1].

Route two: ask your case manager (the shortcut most people skip)

Psychosocial Support Services and Non-Medical Case Management are Ryan White service categories. Local programs decide which services to fund, and availability varies. Ask a case manager what groups or peer-support referrals are available to you and whether any eligibility or cost rules apply.[2]

You can ask narrowly. A group for women, for people over 50, for Spanish or Creole speakers, for long-term survivors, for people newly diagnosed — those distinctions matter, and asking for one does not make you difficult.

Route three: moderated online communities

POZ Community Forums offers discussion areas for people with HIV and those who support them, including newly diagnosed people, long-term survivors, women and Spanish speakers. The forums have moderators, but posts are public and searchable by search engines. POZ warns users to avoid identifying usernames or avatars if privacy matters and says posted content is not deleted on request. Peer discussion complements medical care; it does not replace it.[3]

Positive Peers is a free MetroHealth app for people ages13–34 living with HIV in the United States. It offers information, reminders and moderated peer discussion. Registration requires evidence of HIV status or care and age; access is password-protected and times out after inactivity. Review its privacy policy before sharing personal information. A 2022 observational study found higher adjusted odds of sustained viral suppression among users ages13–24 than nonusers (odds ratio4.2;95%confidence interval1.2–13.9). That association does not establish that the app caused the improvement or predict an individual’s outcome.[11][4]

In any online peer community, check who can read posts, how moderation works and what personal information is required. Avoid sharing details you want to keep private, and discuss medication or other treatment decisions with your care team.

Communities organized around who you are

Positive Women’s Network–USA is a national membership and advocacy organization for cis and trans women, trans and gender-diverse people living with HIV, and allies. Founded in2008 by28 leaders living with HIV, it supports regional organizing, leadership development and policy advocacy. Contact info@pwn-usa.org about opportunities to connect and how privacy is handled.[5]

The Well Project offers HIV information and community voices centered on women living with HIV, including its A Girl Like Me blog and fact-sheet library. Information and advocacy networks can help you connect with others, but they are not emergency-response services.[6]

If you need to talk to someone tonight

For treatment referrals, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 800-662-HELP(4357). The free, confidential service operates24/7 in English and Spanish and refers callers to treatment, support groups and local resources. It does not provide counseling. For immediate emotional support or a mental-health crisis, call or text 988 or use the Lifeline’s online chat.[12][7]

For general public-health questions, including HIV information, CDC-INFO is 800-232-4636, Monday–Friday,8a.m.–8p.m.Eastern, except federal holidays. It is not an overnight crisis line. In a life-threatening emergency, call911.[8]

Support groups in South Florida

Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center offers HIV case management, mental-health counseling and peer support in Palm Beach County. Call 561-533-9699 to ask about current groups and referrals. The CAN Community Health clinic inside Compass, at201N.Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, lists its clinical appointment number as 561-867-9991.[13][9]

Pridelines lists Los Guerreros for HIV peer support and Coffee & Conversations for adults55and older. Ask about current dates and registration at 305-571-9601. Its planned Mental Health Hub is described as opening in early2027; the organization currently offers referrals while that service is in development.[14][10]

Related questions

Does my clinic have to help me find a support group?

Ryan White programs can fund psychosocial support and case-management services, but individual groups and referrals vary by location. Ask your case manager what is available, who can join, and whether there are fees or eligibility requirements.[2]

What if there is no group near me, or I am not ready to be seen?

Online peer communities may help you connect when in-person groups are unavailable. POZ Forums has several HIV discussion areas; Positive Peers accepts eligible US residents with HIV ages13–34. Compare privacy practices and participation rules. Online peer support is not a substitute for clinical or crisis care.[3][4]

Are online HIV communities private?

Privacy varies. POZ Forums warns that posts are public and searchable and are not deleted on request. Positive Peers requires verification and password-protected access, but you should still read its privacy policy and choose carefully what to share. Moderation does not make a community a medical service.[3][4]

Is there a number I can call right now?

For emotional support or a mental-health crisis, call or text988 or chat through988lifeline.org,24/7. SAMHSA’s800-662-4357 line provides24/7 treatment referrals, not counseling. CDC-INFO800-232-4636 answers public-health questions during weekday business hours. Call911 for an immediate life-threatening emergency.[12][7][8]

Find Care Near You
Search support services, counseling, and HIV care by ZIP code.
Find Services
Support services beyond the clinic: housing, food, transportation, counseling.
Newly Diagnosed
What the first weeks look like, and who to lean on.
How do I find a Ryan White provider?
Your case manager is the fastest route to local peer support.
Undetectable = Untransmittable
The science that changes how people talk about sex, dating, and disclosure.
Last reviewed: September 2026 by the RiseUpToHIV team. Educational content only — not medical advice.

References & Sources

  1. HIV.gov — Locate an HIV Care Provider. The ZIP-code locator returns mental health services, substance use services, and housing alongside HIV medical care. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
  2. HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program — Available Care and Services. Psychosocial Support Services and Non-Medical Case Management as named service categories, and the case manager's role in explaining what services you can get. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
  3. POZ Community Forums — Topic areas, moderation and public-search/privacy warning. Source. ↩↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
  4. Positive Peers — Eligibility, features, registration and moderation. Source. ↩↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
  5. PWN-USA — About Us; membership, mission, history and contact. Source. ↩
  6. The Well Project — Women-centered HIV information, fact sheets and community voices. Source. ↩
  7. SAMHSA National Helpline — Treatment referrals and information,24/7; does not provide counseling. Source. ↩ ↩
  8. CDC-INFO — About Our Service; public-health information and weekday hours. Source. ↩ ↩
  9. Compass — HIV services, counseling and peer support. Source. ↩↩
  10. Pridelines — Senior Programming; Los Guerreros and Coffee & Conversations. Source. ↩
  11. StepMM etal. Positive Peers prospective observational cohort comparison. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth2022;10(9):e37868. doi:10.2196/37868. Source. Checked September 21, 2026. ↩
  12. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline —24/7 emotional support. Source. Checked September 21, 2026. ↩ ↩
  13. CAN Community Health — Lake Worth clinic contact. Source. Checked September 21, 2026. ↩
  14. Pridelines — Mental Health Hub planned for early2027; interim referral service. Source. Checked September 21, 2026. ↩

Community publications like POZ, Positively Aware, and TheBody inform framing and lived-experience context on RiseUpToHIV. Every clinical, epidemiological, or public-health claim above is anchored to a primary source.

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