Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Housing Opportunity Act of 1992 provided states and localities with resources and incentives to develop long-term strategies to meet the housing needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS.  It offered those living with HIV/AIDS resources to obtain safe, decent, and sanitary housing along with the supportive services necessary to maintain housing stability enhancing their quality of life. 

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) is a federally funded U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program that offers a variety of housing solutions and support services for low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS.  The HOPWA Program received its first direct appropriation on October 28, 1992.  For over thirty (30) years the HUD portfolio of grantees receiving HOPWA funding has also grown to include Durham as one of 143 jurisdictions.  Funding for HOPWA is determined annually by a formula that is largely based on the number of persons living with HIV/AIDS in any given jurisdiction, such as the City of Durham.  

The City of Durham is the grantee for the Durham Eligible Metropolitan Statistical Area (EMSA).  As a grantee, the City of Durham is responsible for ensuring that those eligible persons who live within the EMSA are served.  HUD has determined the EMSA for Durham includes residents of Chatham, Durham, Granville, Orange, and Person counties.

HOPWA helps households' income eligible who are at or below eighty percent (80%) of the Area Median Income (AMI) shown here AMI-huduser.gov to gain access to affordable housing.  HOPWA funding assists clients with securing and maintaining stable living environments, thus reducing homelessness.  Services are not limited to helping with rent, mortgages, and/or utilities.  Other goals of the HOPWA Program are providing supportive services, when necessary, access to health care.

The Durham EMSA HOPWA program supports a variety of projects which include:

  • Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA)
  • Permanent Housing Placement (PHP) Services (security/utility deposits and/or first month’s rent)
  • Short-Term Assistance for Rent, Mortgages, and Utilities (STRMU); and
  • Supportive Services to include case management for low-income households living with HIV/AIDS.

The City of Durham contracts with Durham County Social Services and Durham Housing Authority to deliver HOPWA funded services. 

Call 919-560-7280 to make referrals and learn more about the Durham EMSA HOPWA Program.