Chicago Receives Federal Funding for Housing Assistance, Including $9.5M for People With HIV/AIDS
Federal Housing and Urban Development Secretary Roy Bernardi on Monday announced that Chicago will receive more than $46 million in federal funds for housing assistance, including $9.5 million for people living with HIV/AIDS, the Chicago Sun-Times reports (Ritter, Chicago Sun-Times, 12/23). Of the $9.5 million grant, $8.3 million will be allocated to provide permanent housing and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, according to the Chicago Tribune. The additional $1.2 million will help provide 187 long-term rental subsidies to people with HIV/AIDS who have had unstable housing situations. These residents will be part of a research project that will examine the "influence of housing on health and risk behavior," according to the Tribune (Washburn, Chicago Tribune, 12/23). The $1.2 million initiative is jointly funded by HUD's Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS program and the CDC, according to an AIDS Foundation of Chicago release. "This is a great day for people living with HIV/AIDS," AFC Executive Director Mark Ishaug said, adding, "This new funding provides much needed relief in the midst of Chicago's affordable housing crisis and will help alleviate some of the difficulties faced by HIV-positive individuals in finding housing and staying healthy" (AFC release, 12/22). HUD has allocated nearly $1.3 billion in grants nationally for homeless programs, an increase from $1.1 billion in 2002, according to the Tribune (Chicago Tribune, 12/23).
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