BUSH ADMINISTRATION AWARDS MORE THAN $2.7 MILLION TO PROVIDE HOUSING AND SERVICES TO PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS

Individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families living in Rural Kansas and Missouri will receive housing and supportive services because of more than $2.7 million in grants announced today by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez. Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) will receive $1.37 million and Interfaith
Residence (Doorways) will receive $1.32 million to provide housing and services to rural areas of the two states.

The two grants are part of nearly $19 million in funding being announced nationwide. Earlier this year, Martinez announced an additional $12 million to fund existing programs that provide permanent housing and services to low-income persons with HIV/AIDS.

"Providing care to those living with HIV/AIDS must include housing," said Martinez. "This Administration is committed
to helping these families not only find a home but receive the services they need to maintain their quality of life."

The grants are part of HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program that is distributing
$277 million to metropolitan areas and states this year. 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.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) will receive $1,370,000 to initiate its Kansas Care Through Housing Program as a special project in areas of the state that do not receive HOPWA formula funds. The program
will offer tenant based rental assistance, emergency housing assistance, housing coordination services, and supportive services to low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS throughout the state, as well as outside the Kansas City metropolitan area. The program will constitute the first statewide housing funds made available to persons
living with HIV/AIDS in Kansas and provide assistance to an estimated 100 eligible persons each year during the
three-year grant period. Additionally, a comprehensive HIV/AIDS housing needs assessment will be conducted to
help guide future housing planning. KDHE will partner in this project with the University of Kansas School of Medicine Medical Practice Association, and AIDS Housing of Washington.

Interfaith Residence (DOORWAYS), along with sponsors Regional AIDS Interfaith Network of Central Missouri (RAIN) and AIDS Project of the Ozarks (APO) will receive $1,322,930 for an initiative to serve the needs of rural Missouri.
The project, Out State Missouri Next Step Permanent Supportive Housing Program (OMO Next Step), will address
the needs of Missourians living with HIV/AIDS by providing permanent supportive housing while enhancing the
access to other needed services, such as healthcare, assistance in adhering to HIV medication regimentation,
housing counseling, and employment. The project will provide permanent supportive housing in 79 of the state's
115 counties in which an estimated 8,497 persons living with HIV/AIDS reside in Missouri. OMO Next Step will also collaborate with other community grassroots organizations and faith-based organizations throughout Missouri.

The HOPWA grants announced today are part of a competition to assist new programs around the country. The
Bush Administration is proposing an additional $15 million for the HOPWA program next year.

Housing assistance and the support services funded by the HOPWA program are a vital part of the comprehensive system of care for those living with HIV/AIDS. A stable home environment is critically important for low-income persons, who otherwise would have great difficulty in following the complex drug therapies and coping with the side effects from their treatments.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities, creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans, 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 at www.hud.gov.

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