Houston Renews AIDS Housing Program

Houston City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing a contract between the city and the River Oaks Health Association Inc., providing up to $376,910 for the administration and operation of a residence and support service for AIDS patients in the Montrose area.

River Oaks Health Association is a Texas-based nonprofit that established a property called the Help House in 1995. The facility includes 24 units that are used as transitional housing for HIV/AIDS patients. The services are provided with money from a federal grant from the Housing Opportunity for Persons with AIDS Act and are administered by the Houston Housing and Community Development Department, said Kevin Davis, spokesperson for the department. The new contract will provide funding for the next 24 months, allowing the Help House to offer services to at least 52 low-income HIV-infected patients and their families, Davis said. The residents can stay in the facility for no more than 24 months.

During the previous 24-month contract period, River Oaks Health Association served 47 people and their families, Davis said. The funding will allow the association to continue providing housing and support services, including case management, housing information, transportation, nutrition counseling, food assistance and mental health counseling, he said.

City Councilmember Ada Edwards presented the proposal to fund the program, which is in her district. The city housing department and the River Oaks Health Association met with civic groups in the area prior to the opening of the facility in 1996, according to Davis. "Concerns of the community were heard and addressed and, to our knowledge, no further opposition has been raised since that time," Davis said.

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