SUPPORT HOPWA FUNDING!

Please call or email your Senators and ask them to join Senators
Durbin (D-IL) and Martinez (R-FL) in asking the HUD
Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman and Ranking Member to
provide at least $385 million for the Housing Opportunities for
Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program for FY 2006.

Please act right away -- the letter closes April 20, 2005.

April 12, 2005

SUPPORT THE HOPWA PROGRAM
Sign the Letter to the Appropriations Committee

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to ask you to join us in sending the attached
letter to the Appropriations Committee urging a funding level of
$385 million for the Housing Opportunities for Persons With
AIDS (HOPWA) program for fiscal year 2006. HOPWA, which enjoys
wide bipartisan support, is the only federal housing program
that specifically provides cities and states hardest hit by the
AIDS epidemic with the resources to address the housing crisis
facing people living with AIDS.

Advances in treatment have offered new hope to people living
with HIV/AIDS, but the costs associated with these treatments
often force people to decide between essential medications and
other necessities, such as housing. HOPWA answers this need,
providing affordable housing to thousands of Americans battling
AIDS. Unfortunately, last year's appropriation of $282 million
was $13 million less than the FY04 allocation, and the
President's budget calls for even further cuts to the HOPWA
program. With 91 percent of HOPWA recipients having a family
income of less than $1000 per month, these are cuts the program
and those it assists simply cannot afford.

Locally controlled, HOPWA provides maximum flexibility to states
and communities to design and implement strategies that respond
to local housing needs. In FY2005 alone, HOPWA funds will
support the delivery of services to roughly 80,000 households in
122 jurisdictions across 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the
District of Columbia.

Please join us in sending the following letter to the
Appropriations Committee requesting that this program be
adequately funded to meet the growing needs of those living with
HIV and AIDS. If you have any questions, or you would like to
sign on to the letter, please contact Elissa Levin in Senator
Durbin's office at 224-2152 or Reagan McKee in Senator
Martinez's office at 224-3041 by April 20, 2005.

SIGNED BY SENATORS DURBIN AND MARTINEZ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------

Dear Chairman Bond and Ranking Member Murray:

We are writing to request a funding level of at least $385
million for the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS
(HOPWA) program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006.

As you know, the HOPWA program enjoys wide bipartisan support As
the only federal housing program that specifically provides
cities and states with the resources to address the housing
crisis facing people living with AIDS. The growing demand for
services requires a substantial increase this year. The National
AIDS Housing Coalition estimates that more than $2 billion is
required to truly meet the housing needs of all those living
with HIV/AIDS. In light of budget realities, however, we ask for
$385 million to help those in the greatest need.

Major strides have been made in treatment options for people
living with HIV/AIDS, and with these advances, there is new hope
for everyone touched by the AIDS epidemic. However, the cost of
these new treatments can often force people to decide between
essential medications and other necessities, such as housing.
Individuals with HIV/AIDS must have stable housing to ensure
access to and to benefit from complex drug treatments that often
include special dietary restrictions. In addition, medications
often must be refrigerated and taken on a rigid time schedule.
Inadequate housing is not only a barrier to treatment, but also
puts people with HIV/AIDS at risk of premature death from
exposure to other diseases, poor nutrition, stress and lack of
medical care.

At any given time, one-third to one-half of all Americans with
AIDS are either homeless or in imminent danger of losing their
homes. HOPWA answers this need, successfully providing suitable,
reasonably priced housing for thousands of Americans battling
AIDS. HOPWA enables cities and states to design and provide
community-based, cost-effective housing for people living with
AIDS and their families. It provides maximum flexibility to
states and communities to implement strategies that respond to
local housing needs and shortfalls. In addition, the
administrative costs of the program are capped, ensuring the
money goes directly to serving people with AIDS. In FY2005
alone, HOPWA funds will support the delivery of services to more
than 80,000 households in 122 jurisdictions across 39 states,
Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Unfortunately, the
demand for housing accommodations for people living with
HIV/AIDS continues to greatly outweigh the resources currently
available.

The HOPWA program offers thousands of people living with
HIV/AIDS and their families the safety and stability necessary
to benefit from drug treatments that have contributed to a
dramatic reduction in AIDS mortality in this nation. We urge you
to give the highest priority to an allocation of $385 million
for HOPWA in the FY2006 Transportation, Treasury, Judiciary, HUD
Appropriations bill so that this important program may continue
to serve those in need. Thank you for your consideration of this
request.

Sincerely,
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