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HUD Archives: News Releases
CUOMO DELIVERS $24 MILLION TO FLORIDA FOR AIDS HOUSING PROGRAMS AND DEDICATES BROWARD COUNTY HOMELESS ASSISTANCE CENTER FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today marked World AIDS Day by delivering $24 million in grants to Florida communities to provide housing and supportive services for about 5,000 low-income Floridians who have HIV/AIDS or are members of their households. Cuomo announced the assistance as he joined other officials in dedicating the Broward County Homeless Assistance Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The center, which was opened with the help of $406,000 in HUD emergency shelter grants awarded in the last fiscal year, will provide housing for 200 homeless people and help them get training and jobs to become self-sufficient. In addition, Broward County received $3 million from HUD last year for other homeless assistance projects. Cuomo said aid to Florida under HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Program will be distributed in this way:
SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS OF PROGRAMS IN EACH CITY. "These grants play a vital role in preventing more people with AIDS from becoming homeless," Cuomo said. "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. Without our assistance, many more victims of AIDS would be unable to continue living in their homes." Vice President Gore announced the HOPWA grants nationwide in Washington this afternoon. Nationwide, HUD will provide $220 million in grants for housing and support services for over 65,000 low-income people who have HIV/AIDS or are members of their households. Cuomo joined Broward County elected officials and officials of the Broward Partnership for the Homeless at the Broward County Homeless Assistance Center dedication. The Partnership, which created the new center with the help of HUD funding, was organized by community, business, and government leaders who wanted to work together to help homeless people with long-term solutions to their problems. "This new center recognizes that while there are no quick and easy solutions to homelessness, there are proven and effective programs that we can implement to help homeless people rebuild their lives," Cuomo said. HUD's homeless programs have a budget of $975 million in the current fiscal year - an increase of 18 percent over the previous year. During the Clinton Administration, more than $4 billion has been invested in programs for homeless people. At his national announcement of the AIDS housing grants in Washington, 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:
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. ## DETAILS OF HUD'S AIDS HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN FLORIDA FORT LAUDERDALE will use its $4.2 million in HUD funds to help people with HIV/AIDS throughout Broward County with programs including: short-term rental assistance payments to prevent homelessness, support for adult group homes, transitional shelter and supportive services for homeless people, and substance abuse treatment. JACKSONVILLE will use its $983,000 in HUD funds to help low-income people with HIV/AIDS in the Jacksonville metropolitan area including Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns Counties by providing assistance that includes: a shared housing program placing people with private home providers, short-term payments providing emergency assistance for people who are homeless, and providing shelter for people with substance abuse and mental illness. KEY WEST will use its $1.15 million in HUD funds to provide continued direct rental assistance to people with AIDS in Monroe County. The program will maximize independent living and encourage self-sufficiency 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. Key West received its grant as a special project of national significance. MIAMI will use its $8.4 million in HUD funds to provide continued assistance throughout Miami-Dade County including: placement of low-income homeless families who are affected by HIV/AIDS into temporary housing and referring them to long-term or permanent housing programs, and keeping people at risk of homelessness in their homes when possible. ORLANDO will use its $1.8 million in HUD funds to provide direct rental assistance and supportive services to people with HIV/AIDS and their families in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. Activities include a scattered site housing program and special support services such as housing case management and mental health counseling. TAMPA will use its $1.7 million in HUD funds to continue serving people living with HIV/AIDS in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties. These funds will be used to build and maintain housing facilities, provide rental assistance, information services and support. WEST PALM BEACH will use its $2.6 million in HUD funds for people throughout Palm Beach County. The Haitian American Community Council will use HUD funds to provide project-based rental assistance as well as emergency housing payments to HIV-infected migrant farm workers in the Belle Glades area of the county. In addition, funding will go to the Children's Place, where children of HIV-infected mothers live for three to nine months, while their mothers participate in substance abuse treatment and counseling programs. Other programs to be funded include programs to serve homeless people, provide rental assistance, and provide short-term rental and mortgage payment assistance. THE STATE OF FLORIDA will use its $3.2 million in HUD funds to support housing for people with HIV/AIDS outside the metropolitan areas listed above. Programs to be funded include: short-term rental assistance and mortgage payments to prevent homelessness, transitional housing in furnished apartments, housing counseling, security deposits for telephone and utility services.
Content Archived: January 20, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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