On Monday, President Obama released his 2013 budget plan, including a $2million cut from 2012 spending levels for HOPWA—the program that funds housing supports for people with AIDS. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in the budget briefing that the $2 million cut was insignificant.

According to the National AIDS Housing Coalition however, this proposed funding cut represents 384 families who will not receive supportive services through Housing for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program. HUD as estimated that there are over 145,600 households that qualify for HOPWA yet whose needs are unmet. If HOPWA were fully funded to support everyone in the US eligible for the program, the budget would be more than triple current funding levels ($1.08 billion), according to NAHC (see the fact sheet below).

“While $2 million dollars may seem like small change out of $332 million proposed for HOPWA, we know that every dollar lost means someone with AIDS will remain homeless,” said Christine Campbell, VP, National Advocacy and Organizing with Housing Works.

The other HOPWA changes planned for FY13 include introducing legislation changing the formula for distributing HOPWA funding “based on living cases of HIV and adjusted for an area’s fair market rent and poverty rates, focusing HOPWA funds on areas that have the most need. The proposal will also include several changes that will allow better targeting of HOPWA resources and more flexibility for grantees to provide the most cost-effective, timely interventions.”

VOCAL-NY, released a statement about the budget proposal, noting that while they support “a more equitable HOPWA formula and appreciates HUD’s effort to gather feedback on how to revise the formula, it’s disappointing that the administration would propose it without also increasing overall HOPWA funding to avoid destabilizing programs in areas that would otherwise be cut under a new formula.”

The AIDS Issues Update will follow this issue as it moves its way through Congress, where an election year will likely further politicize the budget process.

Hop Wane Ed Paper

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OUR MISSION Housing Works is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.

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