Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS

CFLS' Successful Transition of Families Living with HIV/AIDS from Supportive into Permanent Housing

In November 2000, CFLS formally began a HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS) supportive housing facility for people living with HIV/AIDS.  We began providing supportive services for clients that allowed them to improve their mental and phyisical health, achieve personal goals, and move toward self-sufficiency while receiving medical support in a safe and supportive housing program. 

Families living in our HOPWA supportive housing units participated in therapeutic group and individual counseling and AIDS counseling conducted through our Health and Wellness Program.  In addition, the counselors and case managers worked with the residents on an individual basis to strengthen basic life skills, including parenting skills; maintainance and cleanliness of an appartment; budgeting; time management; nutrition and more.

CFLS' Supportive HOPWA Housing has now transitioned towards more independence for its families living with HIV and continues to build on several years' experience with a population living with HIV/AIDS.  In early 2004, CFLS successfully transitioned our families out of the HOPWA program into indivdidual, self-sufficient appartments throughout the metropolitan area through the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program.  We were the first social-services agency in the city to successfully make this transition with our families.

The TBRA program is unique in that it allows families to live more independently in an appartment and location of their choice.  CFLS is able to subsidize our families' rent through a contract with the DC Department of Health Administration for HIV/AIDS.  We transfered eight families living in our own HOPWA program into these appartments, and have since added eleven other families into our TBRA program.  Our Health and Wellness staff conduct ongoing counseling sessions with these families to ensure that they continue to have success with the transition.

In addition to the eight families who moved from HOPWA to TBRA housing, several of our families successfully transfered from HOPWA into Section 8 housing (for low-income families) and others who were able to maintain employment and moved into fair market housing.

To learn more about CFLS' work in HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention, please click here.

To learn more about how you can qualify to live in TBRA Housing, please click here.