[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 2, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, the HOPWA program, or the Housing 
Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, is the only Federal program that 
helps the housing crisis facing people with AIDS.
  Rental help, mortgage assistance, help with utility payments, and 
information on low-income housing opportunities are some of the ways in 
which HOPWA helps low-income persons with AIDS in securing stable 
living environments and in living longer and in more productive lives.
  Unfortunately, there is an estimated 40,000 new AIDS cases reported 
every year, and the demands for housing that will provide for the 
safety and stability for these individuals to benefit from drug 
treatments greatly outweighs the resources currently available. 
President Bush, however, has proposed to allocate $277 million in his 
budget, an increase of $57 million from last year's budget, to address 
the housing crisis facing people with AIDS.
  I urge my colleagues to consider funding HOPWA and alleviate the 
growing needs of individuals living with HIV and AIDS.

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