On Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced $18.8 million in grants to 15 states to assist with housing costs for people with HIV/AIDS.

A three-year, $1.4 million grant will go to Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota for their collaborative, multi-state Housing Environments for Living Positively (HELP) program, said Jim Nolan, a bureau chief in the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

"The reason I believe HUD likes our project is it's the only multi-state project in the country," said Nolan. The three states individually have too few HIV/AIDS cases to qualify for the federal HIV/AIDS housing assistance, explained Nolan. Targeting low-income individuals and families, HELP serves 45 households in Montana and about 20 each in the Dakotas.

The new HUD funding will help get eligible clients off of waiting lists, Nolen said. The Yellowstone AIDS Project in Billings -- which jointly administers Montana's HELP with the Missoula AIDS Council -- has a waiting list of about 22 people. In addition, the grant will allow Montana's HELP to hire housing coordinators, who will work one-on-one with clients.

The other states sharing the $18.8 million in US housing grants are distributed to Florida, California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire and West Virginia. Nationwide, $282 million is budgeted for housing assistance to those affected by AIDS, Jackson said.

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