HUD Awards Over $1.3 Million to an HIV/AIDS Housing Program in Wisconsin

WISCONSIN – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced over $1.3 million to a local HIV-AIDS housing program in Wisconsin to help extremely low-income persons and families living with HIV/AIDS. These grants provide a combination of housing assistance and supportive services for this vulnerable population.

In addition to housing assistance, these local programs will provide access to the needed supportive services such as case management, mental health, substance abuse, employment training. The combination of housing assistance and supportive services are critical in sustaining housing stability, promote better health outcomes, and increase quality of life, which promotes self-sufficiency efforts for those able to transition to the private housing market.

“Housing and health go hand in hand,” said Secretary Juliàn Castro. “These grants will provide our local partners with a critical resource to support low-income individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS.  Having a stable place to live can make all the difference and we’re proud to work with communities to help our fellow Americans in building productive and prosperous futures.”

“This new funding in Wisconsin will ensure an improved quality of life for residents with HIV/AIDS to focus on staying healthy in a stable home environment,” said HUD Midwest Regional Administrator Antonio R. Riley.

The funding announced today is offered through HUD’s Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA) and will renew HUD’s support of 25 local programs in 16 states. Research shows that a stable home is critical to the health of person with HIV-AIDS resulting in better health outcomes and reduced transmission of the disease.

The grants announced today also support Opening Doors, the Obama Administration strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness, and National HIV AIDS Strategy/ HIV Care Continuum, which identifies housing as a key component to reducing viral transmission. Housing assistance and related services funded by HOPWA are an essential part of the comprehensive system of care for low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS.  A stable home environment is vital for these households to access consistent medical care and maintain their health.  Furthermore, secure housing can be a platform for improved quality of life.

The HOPWA program is both a formula-based and a competitive grant program.  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. HUD’s formula grants are managed by 137 local and state jurisdictions, which coordinate AIDS housing efforts with other HUD and community resources.   Overall, these resources assist more than 52,000 households annually to provide stable housing and reduced risks of homelessness for those living with HIV and other challenges.  Ten percent of HOPWA funds are set aside to fund competitively awarded grants.

The following grantee in Wisconsin will receive an award:

	State	Grantee Name	City	Grant Award
Wisconsin		AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin	Milwaukee	$1,310,577

AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin is awarded a HOPWA permanent supportive housing renewal grant of $1,310,577 to continue the provision of 24 units of facility-based housing along with tenant-based rental assistance to 22 households to address the housing needs of chronically homeless persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families across the state of Wisconsin. A combination of supportive services will complement the housing services through HIV/AIDS case management, access to medical care, substance abuse treatment, and employment referral.

HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.  You can also connect with HUD on social media and follow Secretary Castro on  Twitter and Facebook or sign up for news alerts on HUD’s Email List.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.