March 9, 2005

Join Reps Maloney And Lee Defending The HOPWA Program: Ask Your Rep To Sign Letter Supporting Increased Funding For Housing Programs For PLWHAs

Rep. Maloney (D-NY)	Rep. Lee (D-CA)

Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Al Green (D-TX), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) strongly defended HUD's Housing Opportunities with People with AIDS (HOPWA) Program on March 2nd during HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson's appearance before the House Financial Services Committee. Jackson was there to defend the HUD FY 2006 budget proposal. Representative Lee gave the most impassioned defense of the HOPWA Program -- she said the proposed budget reflects the "values of an agency that no longer takes responsibility" for the most vulnerable populations. We agree with Lee that the proposed 5% cut to HOPWA is unacceptable. The President's FY 2006 budget proposal includes $268 million for HOPWA, a decrease of almost $14 million from the FY 2005 funding level. This $14 million decrease follows a $13 million funding cut to the program in FY 2005.

In the face of severe cuts to the HOPWA Program and other programs that provide life-saving services to people living with AIDS and HIV, it is important that we have vocal champions in Congress. It is vital that the FY 2006 budget restore the FY 2005 $13 million cut to the HOPWA Program. Further cuts will exacerbate an exploding housing and healthcare crisis in the United States.

Congressional champions Rep. Gerald Nadler (D-NY) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) are circulating a letter for sign-on that asks the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Housing, and Urban Development of the House Appropriations Committee to support $385 million in funding for the HOPWA program in fiscal year (FY) 2006. This request amounts to an increase of $103 million over funding for the current fiscal year. It is also the funding level recommended by the National AIDS Housing Coalition (www.nationalaidshousing.org).

Contact your Representatives immediately and ask them to sign on to the letter from Nadler and Ros-Lehtinen supporting a $385 million appropriation for HOPWA for FY 2006. Ask Democratic offices to contact Daniel Penchina in Representative Nadler's office at (202) 225-5635; Republican offices should contact Robyn Wapner in Representative Ros-Lehtinen's office at (202) 225-3931.

Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 to reach your representative.

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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