The HOPWA program is a program of the Louisiana Department of Health STD/HIV Program designed to help low-income persons living with HIV and their households establish or maintain affordable and stable housing, reduce their risk of homelessness, and improve their access to health care and supportive services. This program provides funding for rent and utilities through a housing voucher program or through emergency assistance. HOPWA Short-Term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility (STRMU) Assistance, Permanent Housing Placement (PHP), and Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) services may be accessed through your Non-Medical Case Manager.

Ryan White Housing provides transitional, short-term, or emergency housing assistance to enable a client or family to gain or maintain outpatient/ambulatory health services and treatment, including temporary assistance necessary to prevent homelessness and to gain or maintain access to medical care. Activities within the housing category must also include the development of an individualized housing plan, updated annually, to guide the client’s linkage to permanent housing. Housing may provide some type of core medical (e.g., mental health services) or support services (e.g., residential substance use disorder services). Ryan White Housing is intended to fund the costs associated with a unit (rent, hotel cost, residential stay, housing referral services, including assessment, search, placement, and housing advocacy services on behalf of the eligible client, as well as fees associated with these activities). Clients are assessed for housing needs during the intake process at CCCSWLA. Once a need for housing has been identified by the Non-Medical Case Manager and/or Medical Case Manager, a referral is made to the Housing Coordinator (HC) who will then further assess the need(s) of the client and together, the HC and client will explore the best Ryan White housing service option(s) for the client. These options may include transitional, short-term, or emergency housing assistance to enable a client or family to gain access to or maintain core medical and support services.

Because Ryan White resources are payers of last resort, community housing assistance options should be explored first. If no other community housing assistance resources are available, the client will receive services most appropriate for the client’s circumstance as is within guidelines of SHHP and CCCSWLA.