Mission

The mission of the Black Faith-based Health Initiative is to increase awareness and build capacity within faith communities to address issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and other serious health disparities through educational programs in collaboration with community, neighborhood, and public health agencies.

History

The Black Faith-based Health Initiative (BFHI) was created in 1998 by founding member Sam Price.  Formerly named the Black Church Outreach Project (BCOP), it was designed to increase awareness of the continued spread of HIV/AIDS in the Austin/Travis County African American community.  There was and continues to be a need to create culturally appropriate outreach programs that African American people and organizations can use to become more involved against the spread of HIV/AIDS in their communities.   Originally established as a project within the Austin Health Department, BFHI has been launched as an independent non-profit agency serving the needs of Austin/Travis County. 

Today, BFHI is a 501(c)3 with a nine-year record of successful engagement in Austin's African American community.  We have relationships with 100+ local churches, health and community organizations, consulted with over 100 local pastors and ministers and directly tested and referred 5,000+ African Americans through community fairs and public events.  In the process, BFHI has gained the trust of the citizens in Austin, earned the respect of community leaders and developed a national reputation for model programs that positively impact people and change behavior.