ON WORLD AIDS DAY, HUD ANNOUNCES $1.3 MILLION TO HELP PERSONS AND FAMILIES WITH HIV/AIDS IN DELAWARE
Funding part of $18.7 million awarded nationwide to 16 model programs

WILMINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Guy Ciarrocchi, Senator
Thomas Carper's State Projects Director Larry Windley and Congressman Mike Castle's District Director Jeff Dayton today delivered more than $1.3 million in HUD funding to Connections Community Support Programs. The Wilmington based non- profit organization will use this funding to help 16 persons with HIV/AIDS and their families to find the housing and services they need to stay healthy.

The funding announced today is part of $18.7 million awarded to 16 model local programs nationwide through HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program. Housing assistance and related services funded by HOPWA are a vital part of the comprehensive system of care for those living with HIV/AIDS. A stable home environment is critical for low-income persons managing complex drug therapies and potential side effects from their treatments.

"In keeping with the theme of this year's World AIDS Day, HUD is 'Keeping the Promise' to work with exceptional local programs like the Connections Community Support Programs that serve the most vulnerable among us," said Ciarrocchi. "These local projects provide real housing solutions for those who might otherwise be calling the streets their home."

The project will provide transitional housing and supportive services for 16 households living with HIV/AIDS in Kent
and Sussex Counties. The program is specifically designed to assist homeless households and those at imminent risk
of being homeless with transitional housing and intense housing counseling and case management that will enable these households to transition into permanent housing.

"An estimated one million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS. Almost 3000 of those are Delawareans, and 200 of
them are on the waiting list for housing here in Delaware, to stay near their families, friends, doctors, and support systems," said Carper. "Funding for Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) allows our community to provide compassionate and comprehensive care for those suffering from the disease. Equally important, the work of groups like the AIDS Coalition of Delaware to provide education and outreach will help prevent the spread of HIV.
This funding provides a much-needed boost for the HIV/AIDS community, but is also a reminder that there is still
much to be done."

HUD is providing a total of $18.7 million to 16 local programs that will help 545 households to find transitional supportive housing for the next three years and will seek to move these families into more permanent arrangements with greater self-sufficiency. In addition to the HUD funding awarded today, the Connections Community Support Programs will stimulate another $652,150 from other public and private sources so they can further assist their
clients.

"Individuals with HIV/AIDS face enough challenges -- maintaining their job, how to pay for their drugs, how to take care of their families -- and of course affordable housing is just another burden. This federal funding will go a long
way towards lightening the load and will help create a home environment for the patients and their families to rely on and count on, while they address all of their other needs," said Castle. "As we mark International AIDS Day, it is important to recognize that HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest public health concerns in Delaware because of our high incidence rate, and also because of the complexity of the disease. I look forward to continuing to work with HUD to provide needed assistance to those living with AIDS."

Ninety percent of HOPWA funds are distributed by formula to cities and states based on the number of AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HUD's formula grants are managed by 121 local and
state jurisdictions, which coordinate AIDS housing efforts with other HUD and community resources.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

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Here's more information about the local project being funded through HUD's HOPWA Program:

Connections Community Support Programs, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Wilmington, is awarded a HOPWA Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) transitional housing demonstration grant of $1,339,000. The project will provide transitional housing and supportive services for 16 households living with HIV/AIDS in Kent and Sussex Counties. It is anticipated that fifty percent of the households will be homeless upon admission to the program, and ten percent will be chronically homeless. The program will offer a two-tiered transitional housing model in which
clients are assessed upon entry and placed into housing which meets their needs for supervision and case management intervention. The program includes a comprehensive array of community-based treatment support, and housing and rehabilitation services for persons recovering from and living with mental health and medical disorders.

For information contact:
Ms. Catherine McKay
(302) 984-3380

Note: For a complete project summary of the funding announced today, visit HUD's website.