Cross-posted from: HUD Press Room

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is announcing $50 million in competitive funding available for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA). The funding will be available to local governments, states, and nonprofit organizations via the HOPWA: Housing Interventions (HINT) to End the HIV Epidemic program. Achieving and maintaining stable housing can be a powerful structural intervention in ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Read HUD's Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) here.

“At HUD, we know safe and stable housing is critical for people with HIV to best manage their health,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “When people face health challenges, the last thing they need is to struggle to find a decent place to live. This funding will help provide a stable home environment that is critical to the system of care for those living with HIV."

Through this NOFO, HUD will fund for housing assistance and supportive services for low-income people with HIV and their families, coordination and planning activities, and grants management and administration. Selected communities will implement new projects that align with initiatives to end the HIV epidemic and elevate housing as an effective structural intervention in ending the epidemic. HUD is seeking projects with exemplary and innovative qualities, including the incorporation of Housing First principles, community-level coordination, data collection with an emphasis on stable housing and positive health outcomes, the use of cultural humility in providing housing and services, and a systemic approach to advance equity in underserved communities that can serve as a national place-based model.

Projects funded through this HOPWA funding opportunity will achieve six required project objectives:

1. Implement and document a low-barrier model using Housing First principles to provide housing and services to low-income people with HIV and their families that is innovative and replicable in other similar localities or nationally.
2. Increase alignment with new or existing local initiatives or strategies to end the HIV epidemic by elevating housing as an effective structural intervention.
3. Improve the use of available community resources and coordination among local housing and service providers.
4. Increase the amount of quality data collected and used for data-driven decision-making, emphasizing stable housing, positive health outcomes, and equity.
5. Assess and document replicable practices that ensure equitable access and cultural humility in providing housing and services for populations of people with HIV experiencing service gaps.
6. Prioritize sustainable, effective, and equitable approaches to providing housing and services to people with HIV and their families that can be continued past the funded project's period of performance.

HUD will conduct a pre-application webcast for anyone interested in applying for the HOPWA: Housing Interventions (HINT) to End the HIV Epidemic funding opportunity. The webcast will cover the information in the NOFO. More information on the webcast will be provided through the HUD.gov HOPWA mailing list. To sign up for the mailing list, please visit the HUD.gov HOPWA mailing list subscription page.

Applications for the HOPWA: Housing Interventions (HINT) to End the HIV Epidemic funding opportunity are due January 31, 2024.

The HOPWA program is the only Federal program dedicated to addressing the housing needs of people with HIV/AIDS and their families. Grantees partner with nonprofit organizations and housing agencies to provide housing and support to program beneficiaries.

Read also: HUD Awards Nearly $30 Million to Local HIV/AIDS Housing Programs