Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS

(HOPWA)

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Proposed Cut

$529M

% Reduction

100.0%

Action Type

elimination

Who Is Served

People living with HIV/AIDS at risk of homelessness; ~70% of PLWHA face housing instability

Summary

The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program is the only federal program dedicated to helping low-income people living with HIV/AIDS find and keep stable housing. The FY2027 budget proposes eliminating HOPWA entirely, cutting all $529 million in funding, a 100% reduction, with the administration saying this assistance should instead be folded into broader housing programs.

Who Is Affected

HOPWA currently supports more than 47,000 households a year through grants to states, cities, and local nonprofits that provide rental assistance, short-term housing, and supportive services to people with HIV/AIDS and their families. About 70% of people living with HIV/AIDS face housing instability, and local grantees such as the Maui AIDS Foundation report that HOPWA funds make up a large share of their operating budgets and directly keep specific clients housed.

What this cut would actually mean

Because there is no other federal program built specifically for this population, ending HOPWA would mean many grantees lose the funding stream that pays for rent subsidies and case management, putting medically vulnerable clients at risk of eviction or homelessness. Research cited by HUD and HIV advocacy groups shows stable housing helps people with HIV stay in care and keep taking their medication, so losing that housing support is expected to disrupt treatment and could lead to worse health outcomes and more new HIV transmissions in affected communities.

Why this hits Alabama harder

Alabama has one of the highest HIV diagnosis rates in the country, well above the national average, and several Alabama counties are among the CDC's priority 'Ending the HIV Epidemic' areas because of high rural HIV burden. Since HOPWA is the only federal program built specifically to keep people with HIV/AIDS housed, ending it would hit Alabama's low-income HIV population, which is proportionally larger than in most states, especially hard. Alabama also relies on HOPWA grants (such as those to AIDS Alabama) to serve rural areas with few other housing supports, so losing this funding would leave a bigger gap here than in many other states.

Alabama HIV Data | AHEAD — Federal HIV.gov dashboard showing Alabama's HIV diagnosis rates and progress toward Ending the HIV Epidemic goals, used to compare Alabama's HIV burden to the national average.
HIV PREVENTION in Alabama (CDC factsheet) — CDC factsheet on HIV in Alabama, including data on awareness of HIV status and the state's HIV epidemic profile.
Statistics | Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) — State health department page tracking Alabama HIV case counts and rates, used to document the number of Alabamians living with HIV who could be affected by HOPWA cuts.
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS – ADECA — Alabama state agency page describing how HOPWA funds are used in Alabama to provide housing assistance to low-income people disabled by HIV/AIDS.

Sources

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) FY2027 Budget Request: In Brief — Congressional Research Service brief confirming HOPWA was funded at $529 million in FY2026 and detailing the FY2027 proposal to eliminate it along with other HUD program cuts.
The FY2027 Budget Would Zero Out Every Major Federal Housing Grant. Here's What Comes Next. — Analysis noting HOPWA serves over 47,000 households annually and is the only federal program dedicated to housing for people with HIV/AIDS, and that the FY2027 budget would eliminate it entirely.
Domestic HIV Funding in the White House FY2027 Budget Request — KFF policy analysis confirming HOPWA elimination in the FY2027 request, its $529 million FY2026 funding level, and its role as the only federal program centered on HIV housing needs.
Trump Admin's 2027 Budget Calls Out AFC, Slashes HIV, Health, and Housing Funding — AIDS Foundation of Chicago statement on the proposed $529 million elimination of HOPWA and its likely effects on housing stability and HIV health outcomes.
Maui HIV Housing Lifeline Faces Trump Budget Axe — Local news report describing how HOPWA elimination would affect a specific grantee, the Maui AIDS Foundation, and its clients living with HIV.
Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Program — HUD's own program page describing HOPWA as the only federal program dedicated to the housing needs of low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and noting the health benefits of stable housing for treatment adherence.