by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on June 29 that a Seattle housing project for people living with HIV/AIDS would receive $714,766 in HOPWA funds.

HOPWA, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program, grants funding to states, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations for projects that help people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. It is the only federal program dedicated to housing that population.

Seattle's Housing Resource Group received the HOPWA grant for Kenyon House, a project they run jointly with Sound Mental Health and Bailey-Boushay House.

"[Kenyon House] is 18 units of permanent housing plus services," said Sarah Lewontin, executive director of Housing Resources Group.

Housing Resources Group manages 28 properties, most of them in the downtown and Capitol Hill areas, meant to provide permanent affordable housing for low-income people.

Unlike other Housing Resources Group projects, Kenyon House is dedicated solely to housing people living with HIV/AIDS and providing them with support services. Its 18 residents would otherwise be homeless.

HUD estimates that fully 40% of clients assisted by HOPWA grants were homeless before getting assistance.

"The HOPWA money is actually a renewal of a previous grant," Lewontin explained. "We've been in operation three years. The initial award was to build the project and it also came with an award of money for services."

"Without stable housing, people might not take their meds, they don't eat right, they would not be successful," she adds. "And without the support services we can't guarantee they would be successful."

Sound Mental Health manages Kenyon House and Bailey-Boushay provides day services to the residents.

"We do not provide services, we coordinate services," Lewontin says. "We found the funding. We were the developers of the project. And we provide some of the technical requirements."

According to Lowentin, Housing Resources Group was able to find federal funding because of their extensive prior experience in managing low-income housing.

"We were an organization with experience in setting up a project like this, and also experienced in coordinating service providers," she said. "We feel fortunate that the federal government has continued its support in spite of the economic challenges."

Lowentin says that "only a small amount" of money will go toward administrative costs.

"[A]lmost all the money will go directly to provide services for the clients," she says.

According to HUD, 90% of HOPWA funds are distributed to cities and states, based on the number of AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The total amount of HOPWA funding has increased 8% for 2010, with a total of $335 million being distributed to house people living with HIV/AIDS.

"Overall, these resources assist 58,367 households annually to promote stable housing and reduce risk of homelessness for those living with HIV and other challenges," a HUD statement notes.

"HUD formula grants are managed by 123 local and state jurisdictions, which coordinate AIDS housing efforts with other HUD and community resources."

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