Durham public health providers press city on HOPWA spending during CAPER hearing
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Summary
At a public hearing on the city's CAPER, an HIV provider alleged lack of transparency and delays in HOPWA allocations; staff said funding was reallocated, periods of performance vary by program year, and provider changes and market conditions limited tenant-based rental assistance.
Dr. Haley Cunningham, an HIV provider and co-chair of the Coalition to End the HIV Epidemic in Durham, told the city council during a public hearing on the city's Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report that community providers were not notified and faced barriers to HOPWA services. "As of February, 2 years of funding remained untouched," she said, and she alleged the request-for-proposals process and internal decisions left community organizations out of funding and service delivery.
City staff responded that the CAPER documents HUD-prescribed reporting for multiple grant programs, and that the HOPWA funding picture is complicated by different program years and periods of performance. Braden Korwitz, planning and performance administrator with Housing and Neighborhood Services, summarized the reporting period and said the CAPER covers CDBG, HOME, HOPWA and ESG funds and reflects expenditures from 07/01/2024 to 06/30/2025. "This report accounts for all the expenditures we incurred in this given time frame," Korwitz said, adding that amounts reported may include spending across multiple program years.
Acting assistant director Maggie Carnegie told council that staff reallocated some HOPWA funds to a "resource identification" activity and that a strategic planning effort and needs assessment are scheduled for the coming year. Carnegie also said administration has changed hands, affecting timelines: "The new project team who's administering the HOPWA program'is working through that, and that has been a discussion point." She explained that the tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA) program previously administered by Durham Housing Authority changed providers and that one regional provider ceased operations, which reduced the number of households served.
Council members pressed for specifics about unspent funds, provider conflicts of interest and program access. Dr. Cunningham accused local administrators of imposing barriers such as proof-of-citizenship requirements for some services; staff said they are pursuing technical assistance from HUD and will prepare a strategic plan and system mapping to better use HOPWA funds and expand the project sponsor pool. No action was taken on the CAPER after the hearing.
Next steps: staff said they will provide further timeline details for the strategic planning work and follow up with council on specific inquiries about RFP processes and the status of remaining HOPWA allocations.