HIV-positive people living in Los Angeles County reported having a variety of legal needs, most of which went unmet, according to a press release summarizing a report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.

Findings showed that 98 percent of respondents needed legal services in the previous year but only 28 percent of them looked for help and only 16 percent received it. Most respondents were unemployed, low-income and people of color.

Their legal needs varied, but most affected their health care, housing and income as well as their personal well-being, stress levels, and ability to take meds and keep doctors appointments.

Many Latino respondents said they required legal help with immigration issues; sexual and gender minorities faced issues of harassment and crime; and transgender women were more likely to be incarcerated than cisgender women (that is, women who are not transgender).

Overall, 31 percent of respondents said they faced HIV-related discrimination in housing, employment and health care settings in the previous five years.

Titled The Legal Needs of People Living with HIV: Evaluating Access to Justices in Los Angeles, the study looks at the legal needs of about 400 HIV-positive people in that area.