Finding safe, affordable housing when you are HIV+ can be very challenging. But help is available through numerous housing assistance programs. A housing search advocate can explain the different options and help you with applications.

Look for a housing agency or AIDS service organization in your area. A good place to begin your search for a housing agency is with the AIDS Housing of Washington website at http://www.aidshousing.org/links2209/links.htm. Once you find a housing agency, give them a call and ask to speak with the "housing search advocate" or "someone to help me look for housing." Make sure that you keep in touch with your advocate and if you move, give them your new address or phone number.

Different housing programs are available in different places. Check to see which of the housing programs listed below are available in your community.

• Provided by shelters, churches, community groups, YMCA.
• Can stay for about 60 day.

• Housing you can stay in for a short period of time (up to three years), so it’s important to have a plan in place for moving on to a more permanent residence.
• There is a lot of support and usually a lot of rules.
• These programs can help you find permanent housing while you are living there.
• Sometimes you have to share an apartment or share a kitchen and bathroom.
• Some programs are just for HIV+ people and/or people in recovery from drugs and alcohol.

• Permanent housing for HIV+ people.
• You can stay there as long as you pay your rent and follow the rules.
• Some programs provide you with your own apartment.
• Some programs provide you with your own bedroom and you have to share a bathroom and a kitchen.
• A residential program is suitable if you are looking for a lot of support and help.

Public Housing Authorities offer several different housing assistance programs for low-income people and persons living with disabilities (including HIV). Not every community has a housing authority; however, many larger cities do.

Housing authorities provide multiple types of assistance:

• Housing in buildings they own - “public housing”.
• Rental assistance subsidies (help paying rent). Subsidies are not attached to a particular apartment or building. You need to find an apartment in the community and the subsidy helps to pay the rent and utilities.
• Project-based - units are set aside in buildings.

Eligibility for these programs is based on your family’s household size and income, and in some cases, your current living status (if homeless) and age (for senior housing). If social security is your only source of income, you are probably eligible. Some agencies have special housing available for the elderly and disabled. So if you are disabled, let the housing authority know when you apply. However, you don’t have to let them know what your specific disability is.

There may be more than one housing authority in the area where you want to live, especially if you are looking in a large city. You will need to contact each housing authority to find out where they take applications, what is available and how long you will be on the waiting list. In many cases, you will be on the waiting list for months or even years, so apply as soon as possible. Fill out applications at as many authorities as you can, even places that might not be your first choice.

You can find housing authority contact information for your state by going to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website at http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/index.cfm. 

HIV-specific housing programs called “scattered-site housing” typically refer you to a building or help you find an apartment in the community.

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• Once you move in, the program helps pay your rent and offers services like case management and transportation.
• You can stay in your apartment as long as you pay the rent and follow the program rules.
• You live on your own in an apartment – this can be great, but some people get lonely.
• Scattered-site housing can be transitional or permanent; often there is case management support available to HIV+ people and their family members.

Find information about local HIV housing resources on the HUD website at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/aidshousing/index.cfm.

You find an apartment through the newspapers or a realtor and pay full rent. You may be able to find a program that will assist you with the rent through a subsidy. In this case, you will pay a portion of your household income towards rent and utilities. The housing agency or program will pay the rest directly to the landlord. You do not need to tell your landlord why you are receiving a subsidy—that information is confidential.

All government-housing programs provide some kind of help with rent. Generally you will pay about 1/3 of your household income towards rent and utilities and the program will pay the rest. 

Sometimes people are discriminated against when they are looking for housing because of things like race, sexual orientation, physical disability (including HIV), or source of income. If you think this is the case, let your housing advocate know and ask about assistance from a legal advocate.

Homelessness is a problem that affects many people in the US. If you are homeless there are programs that provide a range of services, including shelter, food, counseling, and jobs-skills training. For help and resource information contact a local homeless assistance agency or go to the HUD website at http://www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm or the National Coalition for the Homeless website at http://www.nationalhomeless.org/local/local.html.

If you are not homeless, but fear you could become homeless, it may be possible to avoid it by finding prevention or emergency assistance programs in your area that can help pay rent or bills. Some programs are run by the state, county, or local division of housing assistance, or by the division of social/human services. Try looking in the government listings in your phone book for these agencies. Churches and non-profit organizations also offer emergency help.

Homeowners with problems that could result in losing their homes can contact a HUD-approved, housing-counseling agency for advice on defaults, foreclosures, and credit issues. Renters can also call for advice. For an agency near you, contact (800) 569-4287.

Finding the right housing for women with HIV can have its own set of challenges. Many women with HIV do not earn enough money to afford a decent place to live. Also, women are often taking care of children, spouses, and other family members. Women may find that they qualify for housing, but their loved ones (especially male partners, and teenage sons) don’t.

It can be helpful to look beyond AIDS-related housing for women and families. There may be housing and shelter options available for battered women, for pregnant women, for women coming out of jail, and for women needing substance abuse treatment. Talk to your case manager or housing advocate about what you are looking for in your housing, and the other people you may be taking care of. Your case manager can help direct you to the right program to best meet your needs.

Some information in this article is adapted from the AIDS Housing Corporation booklet “How to Get a Place Called Home” at http://www.ahc.org/publications/handbook/index.html.

1

Center for Women Policy Studies. (1998). Metro DC collaborative for women living with HIV/AIDS policy roundtable report: Meeting the housing needs of women living with HIV/AIDS: Retrieved May 2005 from http://www.centerwomenpolicy.org/pubfiles/199804meetinghousing.pdf