Shanti provides administrative and needs assessment support to the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council. The HCPC guides use of federal HIV care funding for San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties and gives recommendations for use of HIV prevention funds. The council is composed of community members, service providers, and government appointees. Recent efforts include collaborating on use of federal Ending the HIV Epidemic dollars and directing funding towards medication lockers for homeless individuals and durable medical equipment for seniors.

Shanti staff members coordinate meetings, provide educational and process tools, maintain the HCPC website, train and support members (many who are dealing with their own HIV-related struggles), and conduct focus groups to inform council members of current challenges across multiple communities. Annually, Shanti staff provides a large-scale needs assessment with qualitative and quantitative information gathered during individual and group interviews.
The needs assessment target for 2020 is Youth. Up to 50 HIV+ youth (21 years of age and younger) will be surveyed on their ongoing needs, challenges, and thoughts on the system of HIV care. Focus will be on access to care and quality of care, as well as any substance use and/or mental health challenges this community may be facing. Qualitative and quantitative data will be analyzed and presented to the council, along with conclusions and recommendations on how to better serve this population.