III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. CON. RES. 39 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 15, 2009 Mr. Menendez (for himself and Mr. Schumer) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Congress that stable and affordable housing is an essential component of an effective strategy for the prevention, treatment, and care of human immunodeficiency virus, and that the United States should make a commitment to providing adequate funding for the development of housing as a response to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pandemic.

Whereas adequate and secure housing for people with human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (referred to in this resolution as HIV/AIDS) is a challenge with global dimensions, and adequate housing is one of the greatest unmet needs of people in the United States with HIV/AIDS; Whereas growing empirical evidence shows that the socioeconomic status and structural factors such as access to adequate housing are key determinants of health; Whereas the link between poverty, disparities in the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (referred to in this resolution as HIV) infection, and health outcomes is well established, and new research demonstrates the direct relationship between inadequate housing and greater risk of HIV infection, poor health outcomes, and early death; Whereas rates of HIV infection are 3 to 16 times higher among people who are homeless or have an unstable housing situation, 70 percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS report an experience of homelessness or housing instability during their lifetime, and the HIV/AIDS death rate is 7 to 9 times higher for homeless adults than for the general population; Whereas poor living conditions, including overcrowding and homelessness, undermine safety, privacy, and efforts to promote self-respect, human dignity, and responsible sexual behavior; Whereas people who are homeless or have an unstable housing situation are 2 to 6 times more likely to use hard drugs, share needles, or exchange sex for money and housing than similar persons with stable housing, because the lack of stable housing directly impacts the ability of people living in poverty to reduce HIV risk behaviors; Whereas, in spite of the evidence indicating that adequate housing has a direct positive effect on HIV prevention, treatment, and health outcomes, the housing resources devoted to the national response to HIV/AIDS have been inadequate, and housing has been largely ignored in policy discussions at the international level; and Whereas, in 1990, Congress recognized the housing needs of people with HIV/AIDS when it enacted the AIDS Housing Opportunity Act (42 U.S.C. 12901 et seq.), commonly referred to as the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program or HOPWA Program, as part of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (Public Law 101–625), and the HOPWA program currently serves approximately 70,000 households: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the Congress that— (1)stable and affordable housing is an essential component of an effective strategy for HIV prevention, treatment, and care; and (2)the United States should make a commitment to providing adequate funding for the development of housing as a response to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pandemic.