HUD Funds AFC to Expand Housing Services
for Homeless People with HIV

Officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today the award of $1.3 million to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) to provide stable housing and supportive services to homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

AFC is one of only two agencies in Illinois to receive a Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) grant for Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) this year.

"Safe, affordable housing is one of the greatest unmet needs of people living with HIV," said Mark Ishaug, AFC executive director. "This important new grant will allow us to provide critical housing and supportive services for homeless people with HIV, and help them live longer, healthier lives."

AFC is the lead agency of the Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP), a 15-member citywide collaboration between healthcare, housing, and social service agencies formed to improve health outcomes for chronically, medically ill homeless people. The three-year demonstration project is the first national cost-benefits study of comprehensive approaches designed to assist chronically ill homeless people achieve housing stability and improved health outcomes.

With the new HOPWA/SPNS funding, AFC and three partner organizations-Housing Opportunities for Women, Featherfist, and Open Hand Chicago-will provide permanent housing, intensive case management, and other supportive services to a group of homeless people with HIV. Clients' health outcomes and the cost-benefits of the intervention will be compared against those of a control group that receives traditional care services. By including a strong research component, CHHP expects to offer valuable best-practice models for cost-effective, interagency approaches to serving highly vulnerable homeless people with chronic illnesses.

Research shows that homeless people with chronic medical conditions, such as HIV, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension are highly vulnerable to medical emergencies and death, and result in high costs to government-sponsored safety-net programs. By aggressively offering this population coordinated and intensive housing, medical, and support services, CHHP expects better health outcomes and lower long-term costs.

CHHP is based on the "Housing First" service model developed by the National Alliance to End Homelessness and adopted by the Chicago Continuum of Care for homeless services. Under the "Housing First" model, chronically ill homeless individuals receive medical and support services once stabilized in a permanent housing setting, rather than in a transitional shelter or through costly emergency room services.

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