Florida Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Highlight

In 1997, representatives of four existing HIV related planning bodies and four major grantee organizations, i.e.: Miami-Dade County, The Public Health Trust, The State of Florida, and the City of Miami participated in a community-based process to develop recommendations for streamlining the planning and administrative functions of the counties HIV/AIDS related service delivery system. The process culminated in the Dade-County HIV/AIDS Summit which recommended the creation of the Miami-Dade HIV/AIDS Partnership.

On July, 1998, the Miami-Dade HIV/AIDS Partnership was created by ordinance. The Partnership will serve as the unified planning body for public programs that provide medical care, prescription drugs, housing and many other services to Miami-Dade County's residents living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. The Partnership conducts needs assessments, interacts with community groups and plans how funding is to be used to address the community's needs. The Partnership is designed to serve as the inter-governmental and inter-community coordinating body for a wide variety of HIV/AIDS related services.

The Partnership is responsible for planning and allocating nearly $24 million for medical and social services using federal funds that come through Miami-Dade County and State of Florida. The Partnership also plans and provides oversight for prevention activities which is critical to stemming the AIDS epidemic as well as planning and allocating the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program, which comes through the City of Miami, e.g. $8.4 million in FY 1999.

Much of the funding allocated by the Partnership is intended to fill the gaps that cannot be filled by other programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Administration, food stamps, or other housing programs. The Partnership is composed by 37 members that reflects the racial, ethnic and gender composition of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the County. Over half the members are African American and at least one-third are People Living With AIDS. Many of the members are representatives from local government, care providers, and Ryan White and/or HOPWA program beneficiaries. The Partnership usually meets the second Monday of each month and meetings are open to the public. For more information the Partnership’s support staff can be reached at Williams and Stern and Associates, at (305) 573-4002.