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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

14.241:  Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS

Popular Name:  HOPWA

Objectives:  To provide States and localities with the resources and incentives to devise long-term comprehensive strategies for meeting the housing needs of persons with AIDS or related diseases and their families.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

14.241 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Credentials/Documentation:  Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments and No. A-110 and A-122 section report to private nonprofit organizations. Governmental entities will certify to their eligibility.

14.241 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  An environmental assessment is required for this program. Any activity provided in an application that HUD determines would have a significant adverse impact on the human environment would not be eligible for funding. All components of this program are excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  Government recipients must have submitted a Consolidated Plan, an annual action plan and certifications to HUD. The Consolidated Plan and annual action plan cover four major formula-distribution HUD community development programs, including HOPWA. The annual action plan must describe how funds will be used. Ten percent of HOPWA funds are awarded on a competitive basis through a national competition. Application packages prescribing the specific information that applicants must submit will be available from HUD when the competition is announced in a Notice of Fund Availability published in the Federal Register. The fiscal year 99 appropriation act authorizes the Secretary to use up to one percent of program funds for technical assistance activities.

Award Procedure:  HUD reviews Consolidated Plan submissions and competitive applications. HUD prepares a Grant Agreement for formula applicants and for those applications selected on a competitive basis.

Deadlines:  A Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for competitive grants announces deadlines for applications. For formula grants, action plans associated with the Consolidated Plan must be submitted based on the grantee's operating year, but no earlier than December 1 or no later than August 16 of the fiscal year for which funds are allocated.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  Processing of Consolidated Plan submissions will take place in HUD Field Offices and selection of successful competitive applicants will take place in HUD Headquarters with post-selection technical submissions (if any) processed in HUD Field Offices. HUD will make its final selections and obligate funds as soon as the applications are processed.

Appeals:  None.

Renewals:  Not applicable.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  For competitive grants, the Statute establishes rating criteria and further information will be published in a NOFA.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Competitive Projects: In the 7 national competitions held to date, 129 projects have been selected to serve as models of exemplary AIDS housing efforts. A 1999 example is: The AIDS Project of Portland, Maine will receive $712,221 to implement a HAVEN Project under the Housing Assistance and Volunteer Enlistment Network to continue and adapt prior HOPWA programs to address three new challenges-housing for homeless persons with HIV/AIDS, treatment for co-occuring mental illness and substance abuse, and needs of persons with HIV/AIDS recently released from incarceration. A collaboration with the AIDS Lodging House, Shalom Housing and Peabody House to address needs of clients in southern Maine, the project will provide 42 units of tenant-based rental assistance, emergency assistance with rent, utility payments, intensive case management and in-home support, outreach and pre-release planning for persons in the criminal justice system, outreach to homeless persons with HIV, and housing information services. The HAVEN project will serve about 110 persons with HIV/AIDS and 25 family members. An additional 203 persons will receive social services. For information, contact George W. Friou, Executive Director, 615 Congress Street, 6th. FL., P.O. Box 5305, Portland, ME 04101; (207) 774-6877. Formula Programs: The city of Chicago, (one of 34 states and 67 cities eligible for HOPWA formula funds in fiscal year 2000) serves persons with HIV/AIDS and their families in the nine counties in the Chicago metropolitan area. The program administered by the city's Department of Health, funds activities such as (1) rent subsidies/financial assistance, which includes emergency housing placement, and an average of six months rental assistance; (2)Assistance for HIV/AIDS persons residing in community residences, with residency averaging 138 days. (3) supportive services to maintain a continued level of independence; (4) costs for advocacy and technical assistance; and (5)expanding of housing resources through acquisition, renovation, construction and the leasing of sites. These are an attempt by the city to streamline allocations and contracts in order to provide the necessary services to clients in the most expedient manner. Priority consideration is given to those persons living with HIV/AIDS who are homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless. Descriptions of all HOPWA Programs are found at www.hud.gov/cpd/hopwahom.html.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  The range of fiscal year 2000 formula allocations is $47,986,000 to the largest grant and $92,000 to the smallest grant; the average amount is $2,051,822 for the 101 recipient communities. Grants selected under the fiscal year 1999 competition range in size from $1,359,500 to $459,005, with an average of $1,022,727 for the 22 recipient organizations.

14.241 RELATED PROGRAMS:

• 14.218 Community Development Block Grant;
• 14.239 HOME Investment Partnerships Program;
• 14.231 Emergency Shelter Grants Program;
• 14.235 Supportive Housing Program;
• 14.238 Shelter Plus Care.

14.241 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

14.241 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Type of Assistance:  Formula Grants; Project Grants.

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $225,000,000; FY 00 est $232,000,000; and FY 01 est $260,000,000. (NOTE: Amounts reported reflect allocation of new budget authority rather than obligation amounts.)

Budget Account Number:  86-0308-0-1-604.

Authorization:  Public Law 101-625, AIDS Housing Opportunity Act, as amended.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Final Rule at 24 CFR 574, as amended; and Consolidated Plan Final Rule at 24 CFR part 91.

14.241 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Designated Community Planning and Development staff in each HUD Field Office. HUD Field Offices are listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.

Headquarters Office:  David Vos, Director, Office of HIV/AIDS Housing, Community Planning and Development, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street SW, Room 7212, Washington, DC 20410. (202) 708-1934, 1-800-877-8339 TTY, information on HOPWA is also available on the HUD home page on the world wide web at www.hud.gov/home.html, as well as, specific HOPWA information at www.hud.gov/cpd/hopwahom.html. HOPWA Technical Assistance is provided by AIDS Housing of Washington, 2025 First Ave., Suite 420, Seattle, WA 98121, (206) 448-5242.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

14.241 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  The formula for entitlement grants is found at 24 CFR 574.130. Ninety percent of appropriated amounts are to be distributed by formula entitlement. Seventy-five percent of this 90 percent is distributed to qualifying cities for eligible metropolitan statistical areas (EMSA) and eligible States for areas outside of EMSAs, based on each metropolitan area's or State's proportionate share of the cumulative number of AIDS cases in all eligible metropolitan areas and eligible States. The remaining twenty-five percent is allocated among the qualifying cities in eligible metropolitan statistical areas, but not States, where the per capita incidence of AIDS for the year (April 1 to March 31) preceding the fiscal year of the appropriation is higher than the average for all metropolitan areas with more than 500,000 population. The EMSA's allocation is based on its proportionate share of the incidence of AIDS cases. The high incidence factor is computed by multiplying: (1) the population of the metropolitan area; and (2) the difference between its 12-month-per-capita-incidence rate and the rate for all metropolitan areas with more than 500,000 population. HUD will use data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of HIV/AIDS, and population data provided by the U.S. Census. The CDC data utilized will be as reported as of March 31 of the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year of the appropriation.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Funds should be expended in a timely manner or may be subject to deobligation after 3 years from the date of the signing of the grant agreement.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Grantees and project sponsors may use HOPWA funds to provide for any of the following eligible activities, subject to certain standards and limitations provided in the regulations: (l) Housing information services including, but not limited to, counseling, information, and referral services to assist eligible individuals to locate, acquire, finance and maintain housing; (2) Resource identification to establish, coordinate and develop housing assistance resources; (3) Acquisition, rehabilitation, conversion, lease, and repair of facilities to provide housing and services; (4) New construction (for single room occupancy (SRO) dwellings and community residences only); (5) Project- or tenant-based rental assistance including assistance for shared housing arrangements; (6) Short-term rent, mortgage, and utility payments to prevent the homelessness of the tenant or mortgagor of a dwelling; (7) Supportive services including, but not limited to, health, mental health, assessment, permanent housing placement, drug and alcohol abuse treatment and counseling, day care, nutritional services, intensive care when required, and assistance in gaining access to local, State, and Federal government benefits and services except that health services may not be provided to family members; (8) Operating costs for housing including maintenance, security, operation, insurance, utilities, furnishings, equipment, supplies, and other incidental costs; (9) Technical assistance in establishing and operating a community residence, including planning and other pre-development or pre- construction expenses and including, but not limited to, costs relating to community outreach and educational activities regarding AIDS or related diseases; (10) Administrative expenses: 3 percent for grantees and 7 percent for project sponsors, including costs of staff necessary to carry out eligible activities; and (11) For competitive grants only any other activity proposed by the applicant and approved by HUD. Restrictions: Appropriate supportive services must be provided as part of any HOPWA assisted housing and may be provided independently of any housing assistance. General standards for housing activities are established, including minimum use periods for structures (10 years for new construction, substantial rehabilitation or acquisition and 3 years for other non-substantial rehabilitation or repair). Resident rent payments are required for rental assistance and for residing in rental housing. Additional standards for rental assistance, short-term supported housing, and community residences are provided. Under the fiscal year 99 appropriation, one percent of program funds was made available through a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for HOPWA technical assistance and 2 providers were selected.. (*) Under the HOPWA regulations, health services may only be provided to an individual with HIV/AIDS (not family members) and payments for health-care costs are limited by 574.310(b) to items and services that are not made or reasonably expected to be made under compensation programs, insurance policy, or health benefits program. HUD issued guidance on the restricted use of HOPWA funds for AIDS Drug Assistance and other Health- care Costs.

14.241 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  Annual progress reports for competitive grants and performance reports for formula programs under the Consolidated Plan will describe the use of the amounts received, including the number of persons assisted, the types of assistance provided, and any other information that HUD may require. Recipients jurisdiction file a Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) are required and are due to HUD 90 days following the completion of the grantee's operating year. Reports are filed and reviewed by the area CPD office. Standard HOPWA grant agreements provide that formula grantees agree and will ensure that project sponsors agree to comply with requirements for recordkeeping, annual performance reports (to be submitted to HUD within 90 days after the close of the jurisdiction's program year, 24 CFR 91.520) and information to be collected periodically in the Department's Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS). Grantees must use IDIS to provide complete annual information on the use of program and other funds. The periodic collection of information in IDIS should be made, at a minimum, within 90 days of any disbursement request, on the completion of an activity, and on the completion of the program year. The information to be collected should include information on grant activities, project sponsors, sites and units of housing, and beneficiaries (which must include racial and ethnic data on participants) that is to be used for program monitoring and evaluation purposes. If the State grantee has not yet converted to the use of IDIS, the grantee should report to HUD on information collected in the Annual Progress Report, Form HUD-40110-C (11/97). For grantees that convert to the use of IDIS during an operating year, the grantee may use this form to report on activities for the full year, or for that part of the year prior to their conversion in conjunction with their IDIS reports, or use IDIS to combine such information with information being collected in IDIS.

Audits:  The financial management systems used by governmental entities that are grantees or project sponsors of other grantees must provide for audits in accordance with 24 CFR 85. A nonprofit organization serving as a grantee or project sponsor for a grantee is subject to the audit requirements set forth in 24 CFR part 84.

Records:  Grantees will ensure that records are maintained for a seven-year period to document compliance with the program. Grantees must maintain current and accurate data on the race and ethnicity of program participants.