Durham outlines HOPWA funding, plans RFP after administering tenant aid amid provider collapse

Durham City Council heard a detailed presentation on the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program on Feb. 6, with city staff explaining how the entitlement is being used locally and saying the city will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to distribute remaining allocations after an outside provider unexpectedly stopped operating.

City Manager Reginald J. Johnson introduced the update and said the city is the HOPWA grantee for the Durham eligible metropolitan statistical area, which covers Chatham, Durham, Granville, Orange and Person counties. He turned the presentation over to Colin Davis, manager of the city's homeless system, who outlined eligible uses and recent spending.

Why it matters: HOPWA is the only federal program dedicated to housing for people living with HIV and AIDS. The city's choices about tenant-based rental assistance, short-term rent/mortgage/utility aid and supportive services affect a small, high-need population across multiple counties and require federal compliance and periodic planning.

Davis said HOPWA funds may pay for housing information services, resource coordination across jurisdictions, acquisition/rehab of facilities that serve only households with HIV/AIDS, tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA), short-term rent/mortgage/utility assistance (STRMU) and supportive services. He…