Maui AIDS Foundation to Receive $1.4 M for Rental Assistance

Maui AIDS Foundation.

By Maui Now Staff

The Maui AIDS Foundation will receive $1,441,159 to provide tenant-based rental assistance to 45 households.

The announcement was made by US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaiʻi today and is part of a larger $2.8 million grant issued by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to programs in Hawaiʻi.

Under the federal Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program, grant support is provided to local programs that assist with housing and supportive services to low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

The remaining $1,390,650 will go toward the Gregory House as part of a renewal grant to continue its tenant-based rental assistance program to 33 households, and transitional housing program to 11 households.

“Programs like the Gregory House and the Maui AIDS Foundation are making a real difference for those living with HIV/AIDS,” said Senator Schatz, who serves as a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. “This HOPWA grant will support these important local programs so they can continue to provide people with safe, stable housing and access to much-needed support services so that they can successfully transition to independent living.”

Fellow US Senator, Mazie Hirono also commented saying, “While researchers continue their efforts to find a cure, people living with HIV/AIDS face multiple challenges.  Too often when people contract this devastating illness they not only struggle with their health but also keeping a job and stable housing. The federal resources we’re announcing today will help the Maui AIDS Foundation and Gregory House Programs continue providing our neighbors living with HIV/AIDS with the counseling, training, and housing stability they need.”

In addition to providing tenant-based rental assistance to 45 households, the Maui AIDS Foundation also provides short-term rental assistance to prevent homelessness to 16 households; supportive services to 351 households; and housing information services for 458 households.

“This grant will provide critical housing assistance to individuals and families who are most in need,” said US Representative Tulsi Gabbard in a joint announcement. “All residents of Hawaiʻi deserve to live with dignity, and this is a good step toward making sure that we do our best to live up to that promise.”