Oregon Balance of State HIV/AIDS Housing & Services Systems ...

Oregon HIV/AIDS Housing and Services Systems Integration Plan 41
Critical Issues
This section summarizes critical issues that need to be addressed to ensure integration between
HIV/AIDS housing and services and other systems, as developed by the Oregon HIV Housing and
Service Systems Integration Plan Steering Committee.
The Oregon HIV Housing and Service Systems Integration Plan Steering Committee met in Salem,
Oregon, on December 18, 2007, to review findings from the assessment of HIV/AIDS resources and
systems integration conducted by Building Changes during the second half of 2007. Based on these
findings, the Committee identified critical issues in systems integration that pose challenges to
meeting the housing and related needs of people living with HIV and AIDS in the state of Oregon
(outside of the Portland Metropolitan Area).
The Committee identified both general issues related to the outreach and partnership strategies of
the Oregon Housing Opportunities in Partnership (OHOP) program, and issues specific to the
various housing and service systems which should be involved in an integrated HIV housing and
service plan for Oregon residents. These issues are described below and divided into two categories:
Outreach and Partnership Development, and Integration with Housing and Service Systems.
Outreach and Partnership Development
1. Limited Awareness of Resources Dedicated to People Living with HIV/AIDS
Steering Committee members noted that many mainstream housing and services partners, all
potential OHOP partners, lack awareness or accurate knowledge of the OHOP program. This lack
of awareness of existing HIV/AIDS resources likely extends to the greater community, including
among faith- and other community-based organizations, and may limit partnerships in several ways.
Potential housing partners may not be familiar with the Oregon Department of Human Services,
Public Health, HIV/STD/TB Section, HIV Care and Treatment program, and thus might not
recognize the availability of service match dollars or other partnership opportunities. For instance,
providers may have misconceptions about the flexibility of DHS HIV Care and Treatment dollars to
leverage housing funds. Because services administered by HIV Care and Treatment are supported
by a blend of state, federal, and revenue funds, they can be used as a service match for federal
housing programs such as HOME Tenant-Based Assistance, unlike federal Ryan White funding
alone.
In addition, some agencies use limited resources when those services could be covered by a
dedicated funding stream for clients with an HIV diagnosis. For example, both the OHOP program
and Community Action Agencies (CAAs) offer emergency utility assistance. CAAs that do not
have or share information about OHOP with their clients may end up spending out their utility
assistance funds on OHOP-eligible clients, while OHOP funds remain underutilized.
In addition, some government departments and agencies that are unfamiliar with OHOP and the
HIV Care and Treatment Program do not keep OHOP staff and HIV Care and Treatment Program