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President's Budget Would End Housing Programs
for People with HIV
Washington, D.C. -- President Trump has released his recommendations on discretionary funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2026, and it represents a worst-case scenario for low-income people with HIV (PWH).
The FY26 budget reduces HUD funding by 44% and includes a proposal to completely eliminate the Housing Opportunity for People With HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) program.
The Administration's suggestion that people living with HIV apply for "emergency, short, and medium-term housing assistance," is short-sighted for many reasons:
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64% of HOPWA households are in permanent supportive housing or served by the TBRA (tenant based rental assistance) program, which has no time limit.
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The level funding for the new Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program taht consolidates the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, HOPWA, and other programs would be decreased by $532 million. This means people living with HIV will have to reapply for fewer funded services and which are designed for emergency or short-term purposes.
For people living with HIV, (most of whom are older than 50), stable housing is associated with a 20% increased likelihood of being virally suppressed. Individuals who are virally suppressed cannot transmit HIV to others and are able to lead healthy, full lives. Emergency room visits for people living with HIV are decreased by 41% and mortality rates are 27x lower if they have access to stable housing.
"We call on Congress to reject the President's budget and continue to support a crucial source of housing support for all low-income people, especially those with HIV. HOPWA is a 32-year program, and has always enjoyed bipartisan support because it serves the most vulnerable of our neighbors. Already, over 100,000 people with HIV experience homelessness each year and this budget would result in a housing and health crisis," said Lauren Banks, Executive Director of the National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition (NHAHC).
For NHAHC's full analysis on this budget, read more here.
A few highlights of HOPWA funding in FY24:
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Florida received more than $50 million in HOPWA funding each year, nearly 10% of the entire national HOPWA budget.
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Pennsylvania, where more than 37,000 people are living with HIV, received nearly $15 million in HOPWA funding.
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Louisiana received more than $13.7 million in HOPWA funding. The rate of new diagnoses in Louisiana is nearly 2x the national average.
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For press/media inquiries, please contact NHAHC's Executive Director, Lauren Banks, at lauren@nhahc.org.
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