Housing program ends policy with thousands still on waitlist

FILE After tents were removed from chosen downtown streets unhoused people created temporary shelters Chris Stone A rental assistance procedures that offered a prioritization system to accommodate people at high peril of becoming homeless has been eliminated by the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS campaign The HOPWA campaign provides housing and promotion for individuals living with HIV and AIDS and initially relied on a two-tier system to assess eligibility and prioritize applicants Tier A covered clients with medically verified HIV or AIDS while Tier B allowed prioritization based on housing insecurity and vulnerability As of March their limit was progressing clients and a waitlist of more than people representatives reported the Joint City County HIV Housing Committee last month The group clarified that no new clients were being pulled from the waitlist Providers like Being Alive Stepping Stone Townspeople and Mama s Kitchen shared updates with the county on their limited quota and working referrals Emergency housing options and patronage services are still available through partner organizations but space remains scarce Staff members from housing agencies revealed during a meeting that the system cannot prioritize Tier B because it cannot determine when someone is pulled from the waitlist based on homelessness danger and the verification process requires too much front-end labor for already stretched providers Tier A will now be the sole criteria for HOPWA services Applicants must be HIV-positive or have been diagnosed with AIDS to be considered for housing promotion