HUD Archives: News Releases

CISNEROS ANNOUNCES NEARLY $8 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ADDRESSING HOUSING NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry G. Cisneros today announced almost $8 million in grants for community-based programs addressing the housing needs of low-income Americans with HIV/AIDS. The grants were made under the competitive portion of HUD's $171 million Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program.

"We know that, for many people with HIV/AIDS, adequate housing can mean the difference between life and death." Cisneros said. "People with AIDS who lose their housing often die within six months. That is why these grants are so critical. They serve people when they're most vulnerable, with limited resources, often with less than ideal family and medical support systems."

Cisneros said that this year's grant process, with 140 applications for very limited funding, was very competitive.

Eight of the grants announced today were awarded to innovative projects serving as models for providing housing assistance and supportive services to the HIV/AIDS community. Two other grants were for development of long-term comprehensive strategies for providing housing assistance in areas of the country that do not receive HOPWA grants by formula allocation.

Awards for Special Projects of National Significance

HOPWA Grant Recipient	Project Location	Award
West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation	West Hollywood, CA	$1,076,200
City of Savannah	Savannah, GA	$750,000
Maryland Department of Healthand Mental Hygiene	Maryland (Statewide)	$976,800
Santa Fe Community Housing Trust	Santa Fe, NM	$1,030,000
Actors' Fund of America	New York, NY	$750,000
Bailey House, Inc.	New York and nationwide	$717,268
Asociacion de Puertorriquenos en Marcha	Philadelphia, PA	$750,000
Bailey-Boushay House	Seattle, WA	$750,000
TOTAL	8 Grants	$6,800,268

Awards for Long Term Comprehensive Strategies Projects

HOPWA Grant Recipient	Project Location	Award Amount
Pima County Community Services	Tucson, AZ	$538,902
Burlington Housing Authority	Burlington, VT	$496,472
TOTAL Long Term Awards	2 Grants	$1,035,374

TOTAL FUNDING

$7,835,642

Cisneros also said that HUD Assistant Secretary Andrew Cuomo will be in San Francisco tomorrow to announce several additional grants under the HOPWA competitive grant program.

The West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation grant is for a model project that integrates on-site community services and crises support to maximize independent living for persons with HIV/AIDS and their families in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Activities will include resident service coordination, job development, and the production of manuals and materials to improve tenant relations.

The City of Savannah grant will fund the Family AIDS Care Enterprise project that focuses on family preservation and services providing a physical and emotional safety net to persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Approximately 465 persons with AIDS and their family members will receive housing assistance during this three-year project. Another 1,035 with HIV/AIDS will receive supportive services.

Maryland will create a housing service delivery system for persons living with HIV/AIDS. These funds will be used for an information center accessible through a toll-free phone line and the Internet. The clearinghouse will provide information on public and private housing options for persons with HIV/AIDS. The grant will also allow for the development and financing of up to 55 units of affordable housing per year for three years.

Working with a coalition of 11 agencies and more than 50 care providers, the Santa Fe Community Housing Trust will create a reverse mortgage program to enable persons living with AIDS to convert equity in their homes into funds for medical and other living expenses.

Under the Actors' Fund of America proposal, The Aurora, a 30- story, 98-unit apartment building on West 57th Street, will become shared housing for people with HIV/AIDS, the elderly, and low- income working people. The project will provide 60 units of permanent, supportive housing for low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Bailey House, Inc., which operates a vocational/educational program for people living with AIDS in New York, will work with the World Institute on Disability of Oakland, CA, to develop housing programs nationwide to address issues of AIDS, disability and employment.

The grant received by the Asociacion De Puertorriquenos en Marcha of Philadelphia will support La CASA, a community AIDS program offering special services to homeless persons and those who are at risk of becoming homeless. APM will conduct outreach activities using a bilingual/bicultural approach in the largely Latino north central Philadelphia area.

The Bailey-Boushay House of Seattle will renovate a site for an expanded adult day health care program serving 425 clients. Clients will be assisted with medical care, outpatient nursing care, occupational therapy, physical therapy, chemical dependency counseling, and other services.

Pima County, Arizona, will provide small emergency housing payments for 450 eligible persons and 280 family members to reduce financial crises and prevent homelessness. The project involves collaborative efforts on behalf of clients served by the People with AIDS Coalition of Tucson (PACT for Life), the Tucson AIDS Project and the Shanti Foundation, and will include support from volunteer buddy services organized by the agencies and the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network.

Vermont's Burlington Housing Authority will fund the first supportive AIDS housing project in the state in Chittenden County. Approximately 17 persons living with AIDS and up to 8 family members will receive housing assistance over the three year period of the grant. The BHA will also work with the Burlington Community Land Trust and Vermont CARES to enable persons with HIV/AIDS to maximize their ability to continue living independently.

The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program has been available since 1992 to assist low-income persons with HIV/AIDS and their families with housing and services. It was established to give communities much-needed resources and to help them plan and coordinate existing public and private efforts.

Grants are made by formula to 49 metropolitan areas and 27 states which have the largest number of AIDS cases reported nationally. Competitively-awarded grants may be awarded to localities and non-profit organizations. Grants may be used for housing assistance, technical assistance, and supportive services to assist clients and support development of program initiatives.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009