Washington, DC - Vice President Gore commemorated World AIDS Day today by announcing that the federal government will provide $220 million in grants for housing and support services for over 65,000 low-income people with HIV/AIDS and members of their households.

The Vice President announced the new funds, which the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) will distribute under its Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program, at a meeting with people who receive and provide these critical housing and support services in Washington, DC.

"For too many Americans living with AIDS, poverty is nearly as much of a threat as the disease itself," Vice President Gore said. "Without our help, many would be forced to live in unfit housing or become homeless. These grants will mean that people fighting AIDS won't have to also fight to keep a roof over their heads."

HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo added, "We all know about the terrible toll of illness and death caused by the AIDS virus. On top of this, AIDS often destroys the financial health of those with the disease as well, hitting them with huge medical bills and leaving them too sick to work."

Today, the Vice President:

Unveiled new HOPWA grants that provide critical support to communities in need. Studies show that people with HIV/AIDS are at increased risk for homelessness and have more problems obtaining access to affordable housing. This $220 million in HOPWA funding, a 10 percent increase over last year, provides critical housing and other support services that:

• Help people with HIV/AIDS remain in their homes by providing rental assistance and supportive services such as meals, transportation, and counseling; and

• Provide housing to people with HIV/AIDS and their families facing homelessness. By providing housing and other critical support services, this program helps keep families intact, and assures that individuals with HIV/AIDS have the support they need. Most people that HOPWA serves have incomes of under $1,000 a month.

Of the $220 million, $200 million will go to states, cities, and communities to develop effective programs. The remaining $20 million will go to programs nationwide that have developed particularly effective and innovative approaches to providing housing and other necessary support services for people with HIV/AIDS. For example, an innovative program in Savannah, GA enables people with HIV/AIDS to receive home-based care, and one in Illinois provides innovative services, including effective mental health services and daily living services.

Highlighted Clinton/Gore Administration's ongoing progress in fighting HIV/AIDS. The Vice President underscored other Administration efforts to improve prevention, treatment, and research for people with HIV/AIDS. He noted that the President is unveiling historic new steps today to help the up to 40 million children who will be orphaned by HIV/AIDS by 2010, including new emergency funding from USAID to support international, community-based AIDS orphan programs and historic new increases in AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dedicated to help address the global problem of HIV/AIDS.

These steps build on the historic progress to combat HIV/AIDS for which the Administration fought in this year's balanced budget, including: a new $156 million initiative to address the severe, ongoing health care crisis of HIV/AIDS in racial and ethnic minorities, including crisis response teams and enhanced prevention efforts across the nation; a $262 million increase in the Ryan White CARE Act; a 12 percent increase in AIDS research funding at the NIH, a $32 million increase HIV prevention programs at the CDC; and a $21 million increase in HOPWA.

GRANTS TO STATES AND METROPOLITAN AREAS UNDER HUD'S HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS PROGRAM

Here is a list showing where all $220 million in grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS program will be used. Funds to cities will be used in each city's metropolitan area.

ALABAMA - $2.3 million, including: Birmingham - $365,000; and the rest of the State -- $1.9 million.

ARIZONA -- $1.3 million, including: Phoenix -- $923,000 and the rest of the State -- $366,000.

ARKANSAS -- $552,000.

CALIFORNIA -- $27.4 million, including: Los Angeles -- $8.8 million; San Francisco -- $8.5 million; San Diego -- $2.2 million; Oakland -- $1.7 million; Riverside -- $1.4 million; Santa Ana -- $1.1 million; Sacramento -- $656,000; San Jose -- $649,000; and the rest of California -- $2.4 million.

COLORADO-- $1.2 million to Denver.

CONNECTICUT -- $3.5 million, including: Hartford -- $1.4 million; New Haven -- $1.2 million and the rest of Connecticut $920,000.

DELAWARE -- $598,000, including: Wilmington -- $485,000 and the rest of the State -- $113,000.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- $7.6 million for the metropolitan area.

FLORIDA -- $24 million, including: Miami -- $8.4 million; Fort Lauderdale -- $4.2 mil-lion; West Palm Beach -- $2.6 million; Orlando -- $1.8 million; Tampa -- $1.7 million; Key West -- $1.1 million; Jacksonville -- $983,000; and the rest of Florida -- $3.2 million.

GEORGIA -- $5.8 million, including: Atlanta -- $ 3.4 million and the rest of Georgia -- $2.4 million.

HAWAII -- $496,000, including: Honolulu -- $364,000; and the rest of the State-- $132,000.

ILLINOIS -- $5.3 million, including: Chicago -- $4.8 million and the rest of the State -- $534,0-00.

INDIANA -- $1.2 million, including: Indianapolis -- $579,000 and the rest of the State -- $636,000.

KENTUCKY -- $1.7 million, including: Lexington -- $1.1 million; and the rest of the State -- $561,000.

LOUISIANA -- $4.2 million, including: New Orleans -- $3.1 million; and the rest of the State -- $1.1 million.

MARYLAND -- $6.9 million, including: Baltimore -- $5.8 million; and the rest of the State -- $1.1 million.

MASSACHUSETTS -- $4.1 million, including: Boston -- $3 million and the rest of Massachusetts $1.1 million.

MICHIGAN -- $2.2 million, including: Detroit -- $1.5 million and the rest of the State -- $677,000.

MINNESOTA -- $762,000, including: Minneapolis -- $670,000 and the rest of the State -- $92,000.

MISSISSIPPI -- $769,000.

MISSOURI-- $2.2 million, including: St. Louis -- $944,000; Kansas City -- $813,000; and the rest of the State -- $396,000.

NEVADA -- $1.5 million, including: Las Vegas -- $1.3 million; and the rest of the State -- $190,000.

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- $1.2 million, including: $348,000 in Nashua; and the rest of the State -- $875,000.

NEW JERSEY -- $12 million, including: Newark -- $5.8 million; Jersey City -- $2.3 mil-lion; Paterson -- $1.2 million; Woodbridge -- $671,000; Dover Township -- $595,000 and the rest of New Jersey -- $1.4 million.

NEW MEXICO -- $1.5 million, including: Santa Fe $1.1 million; and the rest of the State -- $391,000.

NEW YORK -- $54.2 million, including: New York City -- $49.7 million; Islip -- $1.4 million; Rochester -- $542,000; Buffalo -- $352,000 and the rest of the State -- $2.2 million.

NORTH CAROLINA -- $2 million, including: Charlotte -- $397,000; Raleigh -- $386,000 and the rest of the State -- $1.2 million.

OHIO -- $2.3 million, including: Cleveland -- $670,000; Columbus -- $458,000; Cincinnati --$395,000; and the rest of Ohio -- $822,000.

OKLAHOMA-- $723,000.

OREGON -- $803,000 to Portland.

PENNSYLVANIA-- $6.1 million, including: Philadelphia -- $4.5 million; Pittsburgh -- $491,000 and the rest of the State -- $1.1 million.

PUERTO RICO -- $7.7 million, including: San Juan -- $5.9 million and the rest of the Common-wealth -- $1.8 million.

RHODE ISLAND -- $424,000 to Providence.

SOUTH CAROLINA -- $1.7 million.

TENNESSEE -- $1.5 million, including: Memphis -- $538,000; Nashville -- $479,000 and the rest of the State -- $525,000.

TEXAS -- $14.1 million, including: Houston -- $7.4 million; Dallas -- $2.5 million; San Antonio -- $805,000; Austin -- $767,000; Fort Worth -- $655,000 and the rest of Texas -- $2 million.

UTAH -- $368,000.

VERMONT -- $1.1 million.

VIRGINIA -- $1.7 million, including: Virginia Beach $702,000; Richmond - $492,000 and the rest of the State (outside of metropolitan DC) $463,000.

WASHINGTON STATE -- $3 million, including: Seattle -- $1.4 million; and the rest of the State -- $1.6 million.

WEST VIRGINIA -- $863,000.

WISCONSIN -- $1.8 million, including: Milwaukee -- $393,000 and the rest of the State -- $1.4 million.

HOPWA GRANTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

This list gives details of the $20 million in competitive grants for outstanding programs awarded today under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program. The amounts of these grants are included in the attachment giving the total value of grants to each state.

ALABAMA

• The AIDS Task Force of Alabama will receive a $1.11 million grant. The Alabama Rural AIDS Project will identify people living with AIDS in rural parts of the state and link them with medical care, supportive services, and/or housing. The program will employ seven community outreach workers, provide rental assistance and develop 10 housing units in 35 rural counties. The grant will serve 2,000 people.

FLORIDA

• The City of Key West will receive a $1.15 million grant. In partnership with AIDS Help, Inc., the City of Key West will provide continued direct rental assistance to people with AIDS in Monroe County. The program will maximize independent living with a continuum of care and encourages maximization of self-determination through a re-employment program. The re-employment program is planned in conjunction with a state emergency insurance program that pays for medical assistance for those successful in returning to full employment. This grant will serve nearly 900 people including individuals and family members.

GEORGIA

• The City of Savannah will receive a $1 million grant. As a component of the Savannah AIDS Continuum of Care, this program focuses on prevention of homelessness and preservation of housing by enabling people living with HIV/AIDS to receive home-based healthcare to connect clients to supportive services at a central site. Project services include legal services, education outreach, rehabilitation of homes, education sessions, transportation, nutritional services, medical assessment and care, discharge planning from medical facilities, and housing information.

ILLINOIS

• Cornerstone Services in Joliet will receive a $615,967 grant to provide independent living options with supportive services for people with AIDS and mental illness. Services will include intense case management, counseling and mental health services, substance abuse treatment, daily living skills training, employment services, crisis intervention, family reunification, education, and socialization and support groups.

KENTUCKY

• Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government will receive a $1.14 million grant to provide operational support for a transitional living facility and a community residence. The program targets the traditionally underserved in the 63-county central/southeast Kentucky including those just released from jail, alcohol, or drug recovery programs, people at the end stages of AIDS and those who require recuperation time.

LOUISIANA

• UNITY for the Homeless in New Orleans will receive a $1.13 million grant. This multi-service umbrella organization will integrate homeless people living with HIV/AIDS into its continuum of care for the homeless population. UNITY provides housing and services to 3,465 people with AIDS and 550 of their family members. Supportive services provided include emergency shelter services, transitional rental assistance, permanent housing, drop-in respite care, case management, education and outreach.

MARYLAND

• The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development will receive a $1.15 million grant. By meeting the basic needs of housing, food and clothing, families who have traditionally fallen out of service will gain the opportunity to build skills and resources to become and remain independent.

• The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Health AIDS Administration will receive a $1.1 million grant. The Maryland Rural HOPWA Initiative will combine rent subsidies, case management, drug assistance and other supportive services in a comprehensive program to prevent homelessness and encourage independent living. The program will serve 152 people with HIV/AIDS and 123 family members. The program will reach an additional 330 people through supportive services.

MASSACHUSETTS

• The AIDS Housing Corporation in Boston will receive a $1.14 million grant to expand its successful SHARE 2000 program. There are five components to the SHARE program: direct care relief; staff development; donations assistance; staff training; and HomeStart programs. Approximately 2,000 persons will benefit through the SHARE Program.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

• The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services will receive a $875,000 grant. The Department will work with Merrimack Valley AIDS Project and Harbor Homes to provide case management, housing, and access to affordable housing to people living with HIV/AIDS.

• Harbor Homes in Nashua will receive a $347,548 grant to serve 90 people with HIV/AIDS who may be multiply diagnosed or homeless, and 30 family members with short-term housing assistance and long-term social services. The program will seek to reach an additional 110 people to connect them to housing and related services.

NEW MEXICO

• The Santa Fe Community Housing Trust will receive a $1 million grant to serve the Santa Fe metropolitan area and address emerging issues for treating HIV/AIDS as a chronic disability. The program aims to serve 142 people affected by HIV/AIDS through re-entry housing strategies, including homeownership through an innovative financing and direct subsidy plan, credit counseling and job training.

NEW YORK

• Bailey House will receive a $979,834 grant to provide a comprehensive technical assistance project to 75 of the New York City AIDS housing service providers. The program will include support for projects that operate housing placement assistance and transitional and permanent housing programs.

PENNSYLVANIA

• Calcutta House will receive a $1 million grant to fill the existing gap between independent living and personal care facilities in Philadelphia's AIDS Housing Continuum through the development of Calcutta Community Home. This facility will house eight people at a time. An estimated 32 people will be assisted with housing and related services with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency.

TEXAS

• Harris County Community Development Agency will receive a $901,109 grant to serve the metropolitan Houston area through project Open Doors. Project Open Doors will provide outreach, centralized information and housing to allow for a transition to less intensive support and family unification for pregnant young women affected by HIV/AIDS and fighting homelessness.

VERMONT

• The State of Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will receive a $1.1 million grant to provide supportive services as well as affordable housing and intensive case management in underserved and rural areas to very low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. The grant will provide support for long-term rental assistance, and short-term emergency assistance to alleviate financial crises related to housing and utilities.

WASHINGTON, DC

• The Whitman-Walker Clinic will receive a $1 million grant. The grant will support the Bridge Back Program, designed to expand and enhance the existing continuum of housing and supportive services program for multiply diagnosed individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The project will seek to expand and optimize housing slots, housing resources, and related social services.

WASHINGTON STATE

• The Spokane County Community Services Department will receive a $1.15 million grant. This grant will help fund the Washington Regionally Assisted Collaborative Housing program to meet the housing and related supportive service needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. The program will serve approximately 350 people as well as 133 family members. An additional 25 people will receive outreach social services including emergency, short-term and long-term rental assistance.

WEST VIRGINIA

• The State of West Virginia's Office of Economic Opportunity will receive a $863,273 grant. This grant will serve approximately 250 people with AIDS and 300 family members through housing and social services by creating a state-wide continuum of care collective for low-income people with HIV/AIDS. An additional 400 people with AIDS will receive outreach social services such as housing contacts and assistance, transportation, HIV/AIDS education and hospice care.

WISCONSIN

• The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (located in Milwaukee) will receive a $1 million grant. This grant will serve 152 Wisconsin residents living with HIV and AIDS who have severe, chronic, alcohol or drug addiction and/or mental health diagnoses that lead to problems with maintaining permanent, stable housing. Services will include transportation, job skills training, food and nutrition assistance and intensive housing counseling.