HOPWA

In response to the unique and varied housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program was created in 1992. The program, housed in the Office of Community Planning and Development in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), directly addresses the housing and service needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Research has shown that housing is the greatest unmet service need for people living with the disease.

It has been estimated that as many as half of all people living with HIV/AIDS will need housing assistance at some point in their illness. For many of those, short-term assistance with rent, mortgage, or utility costs alone will provide the necessary support to remain healthy and in stable housing. But others are struggling with multiple diagnoses of HIV and mental illness and/or substance use. Access to housing assistance and services is often further complicated by histories of incarceration, institutionalization, and homelessness. HOPWA housing assistance helps prevent homelessness and creates access to medical care and support services for individuals and families affected by HIV and AIDS.

The President’s proposed budget of $300.1 million for the HOPWA program is once again far below NAHC’s recommendation based on housing need. NAHC recommends $470 million in appropriations for FY2009, which would provide urgently needed housing assistance for an additional 40,000 people with HIV/AIDS and their families. The President’s flat funding proposal, which would only provide housing assistance to 70,500 households, comes at a time when the community of AIDS service organizations anticipate the announcement of a significant increase in the estimated number of new HIV infections annually - as many as 60,000 cases, up significantly over the long- time new infection rate of 40,000 cases. NAHC is awaiting a budget resolution from congress.


  • Housing is healthcare. Stable, affordable housing offers the best opportunity for persons living with HIV/AIDS to access drug therapies and treatments and supportive services that will enhance the quality of life for themselves and their families. When people are housed, they can access and adhere to drug treatments and therapies and require fewer hospitalizations and less emergency room care.

  • NAHC recommends an additional $170 million in HOPWA 2009 funding for a total of $470 million. This increase will reduce waiting lists for HOPWA housing; assist communities in developing new housing for poor individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families; provide rental assistance; establish strategic housing plans; help the thousands of low-income people receiving assistance through the Ryan White CARE Act get the housing assistance vital to the success of their medical treatments; and make a minimal level of supportive services available to keep people in their housing and fill gaps in comprehensive care.

  • The President’s proposed FY2009 budget would cut funding for many other vital HUD programs that affect persons with HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable populations–reducing the overall HUD budget by $1 billion (NOT including inflation losses). Programs cut include a 18% reduction to the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), a 27% cut to the Section 202 Program (Housing for the Elderly), and a 32% cut to the Section 811 Program (Housing for Persons with Disabilities).


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    FY 2009 HOPWA Need Paper (PDF)

    HOPWA Funding History (1992-2008 est.) (PDF)

    HOPWA Trend Analysis (PDF)

    FY2006-2008 Comparison of HOPWA Formula Allocations

    FY 2009 House & Senate HOPWA Letters (PDF)

    FY 2008 House & Senate HOPWA Letters (PDF)

    NAHC HOPWA Factsheet (PDF)

    Dept. of Housing and Urban Development HOPWA Factsheets

    National Low Income Housing Coalition HUD Budget Chart (PDF)

    FY 2009 Appropriations for Federal HIV/AIDS Programs