Mr Jhon Deep is a 45 year old man who is HIV positive; he lives with his wife and three daughters in a small dilapidated hut in Jagannathpur, a village in Medinipur Panchayat of Bhawanipatna block in Kalahandi, Odisha.

In 2013, while Mr. Deep was working as a daily wage labourer in Surat, Gujarat he noticed that his was becoming increasing ill and could not continue his job. He therefore returned to his village in Kalahandi and was subsequently diagnosed as HIV positive. He registered himself at an ART Center located in the Medinipur Panchayat and began treatment. Though his health was improving, he was unable to find a suitable job which had a severely negative impact on the economic condition of his household.

On August 24, 2015 he met with SAATHII’s (Project Svavritti) State Project Coordinator (SPC) at the link ART Centre and was educated on the available social protection schemes provided by the government. Mr. Deep requested the project team to assist him access any government housing scheme. The SPC provided him with information about Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana (BPGY) (an Odisha state sponsored housing scheme), assisted him collect the necessary supporting documents and submit the application at the Block Development Office on August 26, 2015.

On September 28, 2015 the SPC and PO (Programe Officer) met with the Block Development Officer (BDO), District Rural Development Agency and requested that Mr. Deep’s application be processed immediately and that his HIV status remain confidential. The BDO cooperated and went about the field visit without revealing the applicant’s HIV status at his village.

The SPC found out that the application had been approved and Mr. Deep received the first installment of INR 20,000/- (out of a total of INR 75,000/-) on the 3rd of October, 2015. On October 16, 2015, the SPC made a follow-up visit and noted that construction for Mr. Deep’s house had started.

Mr. Deep’s success story makes it evident of how the needs of community members are met by government officials promptly and sensitively.