Rochester-based Trillium Health has been awarded $750,000 in state funding to expand housing access programs for low-income individuals living with HIV in the nine-county Finger Lakes region.
The state investment will enable Trillium Health to complement services provided by their existing HIV housing service program, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), in support of items including first month’s rent and security deposits, emergency utility shut off, back rent and transportation for housing searches.
HOPWA is available to people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the Finger Lakes region and assists with monthly rent subsidies, as well as providing funds to secure housing and prevent homelessness.
The funding was announced this week by state Assemblymembers Harry Bronson and Demond Meeks.
“At Trillium Health, we have long held that housing is an essential component of good health,” said Jason Barnecut-Kearns, Trillium Health’s president and CEO. “Studies have shown that individuals who are living with HIV and have safe, stable housing are more likely to maintain viral load suppression, which keeps them healthy and prevents the spread of HIV.”
He continued, “We are very thankful that our state representatives were able to secure much-needed funding to assist vulnerable populations and improve the overall health of our community.”
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