HUD Announces $18.8M in Grants To Programs Providing Housing Assistance to HIV-Positive People, Their Families
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson on Wednesday announced $18.8 million in grants for 16 programs operating in 15 states that help cover housing costs for HIV-positive people, the AP/Aberdeen American News reports (AP/Aberdeen American News, 11/30). The funding -- which is part of HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program -- aims to help 545 families that are either homeless or at "extreme risk" of being dispossessed to find "traditional supportive housing" for the next three years, according to a HUD release. "In keeping with the theme of this year's World AIDS Day, HUD is 'keeping the promise' to work with exceptional local programs that serve the most vulnerable among us," Jackson said, adding, "These local projects provide real housing solutions for those who might otherwise be calling the streets their home." According to HUD, the grants also will bring about an additional $23.5 million in funding from other public and private donors for the 16 programs (HUD release, 11/30). HOPWA in 2005 budgeted $282 million to help programs nationwide provide housing for HIV-positive people and their families (AP/Boston Globe, 11/30). Although HOPWA is only a small portion of HUD's overall budget, "it takes care of those who fall through the cracks," Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a former HUD secretary who appeared with Jackson in Tampa, Fla., to announce the grants, said (Zink, St. Petersburg Times, 12/1).
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