Summary: The Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS was established within the Department of Housing and Urban Development by the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990. GAO was asked to answer a number of questions about the rationale for the program, the activities it funds, whom it serves, and it is coordinated with other AIDS assistance programs, and how it is monitored. Congress established the program in 1990 in response to concerns that existing housing resources were not meeting the needs of people with AIDS, who often had difficulty obtaining suitable housing because of the need for supportive services, discrimination, or other problems. Grantees can use funds from the program for a broad range of housing assistance and supportive services intended to prevent homelessness. Limited data indicates about 71 percent of the funds expended have been used to provide housing assistance, about 16 percent to provide supportive services; and the remaining 13 percent to provide housing information services and administrative costs. The program generally provides assistance to low-income individuals suffering from AIDS/HIV and their families. Coordination between the HOPWA program and the Ryan-White programs, which provide grants to states and localities to fund a wide range of services to assist persons with AIDS/HIV, occurs primarily at the grantee level. Several grantees and project sponsors told GAO the two programs could be better coordinated. HUD's field offices are primarily responsible for the oversight and monitoring of grantees under the HOPWA program, and field offices can use a variety of tools to oversee grantees and monitor their use of funds.
