ATLANTA — An Atlanta task force focused on modernizing how the city administers its Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids program has gotten agreement for its next steps from Mayor Andre Dickens.
The Mayor’s Office announced their agreement on Monday, saying that the HOPWA Modernization Task Force’s recommendations were well received and that he looked forward to moving forward.
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“Thank you to all the members of the task force for their work and commitment to ensuring that our HOPWA program continues to operate at the highest levels,” Dickens said in a statement. “The recommendations provided are well received, and I will work to chart a course forward starting with the allocation of funds already approved by City Council.”
As far as what those recommendations were, the Mayor’s Office said the City Council had approved the Assistance for Persons with AIDS Trust Fund to help organizations that were potentially impacted by a reduction in funding for the hOPWA program after changes to federal funding formulas.
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According to Dickens’ office, the recommendation to move away from rental assistance to instead help make permanent housing more affordable for construction or purchase was included in the program’s new direction.
“Several HOPWA service providers have already begun this transition and have seen significant cost savings allowing them to more effectively serve the community,” officials said.
At the end of June, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that funding for HOPWA programs had been awarded to 11 grant awardees, including $2.5 million to Georgia’s Positive Impact Health Centers. AID Atlanta also received $2.5 million.
The change to the funding formula included a $6 million increase from the 2024 presidential budget, with an overall 10% of the budget set aside for competitive grants, and the remaining 90% for use by state and metropolitan area HOPWA programs.
Going forward, following the approval by the Atlanta City Council, “the City is responsible for administering the HOPWA program for Atlanta as well an additional 29-county region.”
“AID Atlanta is thrilled to receive the HINT grant from HUD. We are appreciative of the leadership of the Mayor and his efforts to ensure that the housing needs of people living with HIV in this community are being served to the greatest extent possible,” Nicole Roebuck said. ““We will continue to partner with the Mayor and his team and work together on innovative solutions that will promote housing stability amongst our community. I applaud the Mayor for accepting the recommendations of the HOPWA Modernization Task force and for already beginning to implement some of the recommendations. The work of the task force is only the next step of many to ensuring we truly meet the need that exists in our city.”
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