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Housing Services for New Yorkers Living with HIV/AIDS

The NYC Health Department administers two federally funded housing programs to meet the needs of low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program; and Ryan White Part A Housing Program.

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

The HOPWA program provides an array of long-term housing assistance and support services to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. By stabilizing housing and addressing other basic needs, the HOPWA program aims to reduce homelessness, connect and retain clients in medical care, improve adherence to antiretroviral therapies and reduce HIV transmission.

HOPWA Housing Options

Permanent Supportive Housing programs identify, secure and provide appropriate permanent housing and supportive services. These programs are provided through congregate facilities or scattered-site apartments.
- Congregate Facility Housing (also known as single-site) houses tenants in a designated building and provides on-site supportive services.
- Scattered-Site Housing houses tenants in apartment units located throughout the community. In scattered-site apartments, on-site supportive services are limited to home visits. Tenants are encouraged to seek additinoal supportive services with their housing provider.

Supportive services focus on issues related to ongoing access to HIV primary care, behavioral health needs (mental health, substance use), other chronic health conditions, and other needs (child care/nutrition) to ensure people living with HIV/AIDS maintain stable housing and enjoy improved quality of life.

Long-term Rental Assistance programs support clients who want to live independently but need help meeting their rent payments. To avoid homelessness, low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families who are at risk for eviction can qualify for rental assistance.
Housing Placement Assistance programs identify and secure permanent housing for people living with HIV/AIDS through counseling, information and skills-building activities, and referral services. In addition to housing placements, newly housed individuals may receive additional support to cover rental start-up costs.

Visit the NYC HIV Housing Services Directory to find a local HOPWA provider in your area.

Ryan White Part A Housing Program

The Ryan White Part A Housing Program offers short-term and transitional housing opportunities, as well as housing referral services. These services ensure eligible people living with HIV/AIDS and their families gain or maintain access to HIV-related medical care and treatment.

Short-Term Supportive Housing programs identify, secure, and provide appropriate short-term housing (no more than 24 months) and supportive services. Short-term supportive housing is provided through congregate facilities or scattered-site apartments.
Short-term Rental Assistance programs support clients who want to live independently but need short-term help meeting their rent payments. To avoid homelessness, eligible individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families who are at risk for eviction can qualify for time-limited rental assistance.
Housing Placement Assistance programs identify and secure permanent housing for people living with HIV/AIDS through counseling, information and skills-building activities, and referral services. In addition to housing placements, newly housed individuals may receive additional support to cover rental start-up costs.

Visit the HIV Services Directory to find a local Ryan White Housing provider in your area.

More Housing Resources

You can get additional HIV housing assistance from the HIV/AIDS Service Administration (HASA), a program of the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA).

Supportive Housing Tenant Notice of Rights

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Local Law 15

NYC Administrative Code § 21-149, also known as Local Law 15 2022 (LL 15) requires supportive housing providers, sometimes called project sponsors, in contract with City agencies, like the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), to provide supportive housing tenants, and prospective supportive housing tenants, a tenant’s notice of rights on certain required occasions and upon request. This new law became effective on May 9, 2022. This law does not add new rights; it informs supportive housing tenants and prospective supportive housing tenants of their existing rights.

The supportive housing providers must provide this notice to prospective and permanent tenants:

At the time of the interview
At the time of initial occupancy of a unit
At each lease or program agreement renewal
Upon request

City agencies administering supportive housing contracts must investigate complaints they receive of a housing provider’s failure to provide the notice when required. If an agency determines that a complaint is valid (substantiated), the agency is required to issue a summons against the housing provider for such validated or substantiated complaint violation and to post certain complaint information on the agency’s website.

The complaint information posted must include:

The identity of the supportive housing provider
The date the complaint was submitted
The date of the conclusion of the complaint investigation
The outcome results of the complaint
The number and amount of penalties assessed

If a complaint is substantiated, the housing provider shall be liable for a civil penalty of $250 for each summons issued for each substantiated complaint violation. However, the supportive housing provider may avoid assessment of the $250 summons penalty (“cure”) by providing the notice to the tenant or prospective tenant within 14 days of the date of the summons. Please note that, except for the payment of the $250 penalty, an agency’s acceptance of proof of a “cure” is still an admission of liability for all purposes and the information associated with the substantiated complaint violation will continue to be posted on the agency’s website.

Confidentiality is very important and the identity of the person registering the complaint is never made public. If you have trouble obtaining a copy of the Supportive Housing Tenant Notice of Rights by requesting it from your case manager or housing service provider, contact 311 to file a complaint, and you can also email: housingservices@health.nyc.gov