Florida State Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS

The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, funded through a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), helps meet the housing needs of people with HIV or AIDS. Through collaboration with project sponsors at the local level, HOPWA provides short-term, temporary housing assistance and long-term housing in eligible metropolitan areas to qualified individuals. Services include short-term housing facilities placement, short-term rent, mortgage, and utilities assistance, supportive services, and tenant-based rental assistance. To qualify, an enrollee must be diagnosed as HIV-positive, be at or below 80% of the median income, and meet HIV/AIDS Patient Care core eligibility requirements.

The goal of the HOPWA program is to help families pay housing expenses so that they are not displaced due to costs and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.

Since 1994, HOPWA has distributed funds to metropolitan areas based on the HIV/AIDS case rate of the population. During the fiscal year of 2007, the state HOPWA program allocated over $2 million to short term rent, mortgage, and utility assistance to 2,497 households. Over $744,000 was provided in supportive services to 2,842 households, and $677,000 was spent on housing placement services.