Secretary Fudge Statement on Release of Federal Implementation Plan for National HIV/AIDS Strategy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge issued the following statement on the release of the Federal Implementation Plan for National HIV/AIDS Strategy (www.hiv.gov/blog/white-house-publishes-federal-implementation-plan-national-hivaids-strategy):

"The launch of the Federal Implementation plan for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy marks an important step forward in our ongoing efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030.

"The strength of the federal government went into developing this plan because we know it will take all of us working together to prevent new infections and improve health outcomes for all people living with HIV.

"Access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is a critical social determinant of health.

"I am proud of the role HUD will play to prevent discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS, expand access to HIV education and testing, and, ultimately, reduce stigma."

HUD will take a number of actions to support the four goals identified in the Strategy. These actions include, but are not limited to:

• Distributing HIV prevention information to people who administer and people who receive HUD-assisted housing programs;
• Partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to identify and disseminate best practices and expand local coordination in HIV clusters and outbreaks where homelessness or unstable housing is an identified factor;
• Undertaking efforts to ensure racial and LGBTQ+ equity in access to Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS housing and services;
• Incentivizing communities using points when establishing the score on a Notice of Funding Opportunity to appropriately address inequities to achieve positive service and housing outcomes for Black, Indigenous, Hispanic (non-white), and LGBTQ+ individuals and increase engagement of people with lived experience in program planning; and
• Coordinating on a targeted initiative for youth in HUD-assisted housing programs to increase access to age-appropriate information regarding HIV, STI, and unplanned pregnancy prevention tools and to resources to increase participants' (1) awareness of personal risk and prevention options and (2) motivation for and skills to implement prevention behaviors.

View the National HIV/AIDS Strategy Federal Implementation Plan 2022-2025 here (www.hiv.gov/federal-response/national-hiv-aids-strategy/national-hiv-aids-strategy-2022-2025#strategy).

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