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

42 Oregon HIV/AIDS Housing and Services Systems Integration Plan
case managers updated on planning processes (including opportunities for community input on
Continuum of Care, Consolidated Plan, and other processes and applications) or inform them of
resource availability or collaborative opportunities. This limits the opportunities that HIV/AIDS
housing and services stakeholders have to help shape inclusive plans, and thus limits the degree to
which people living with HIV/AIDS are included in mainstream housing and other services.
Detailed information about the OHOP and HIV Care and Treatment programs is or will be available
in the form of reports and publications such as this Plan, but not all potential partners are likely to
seek out or read lengthy documents on these topics.
2. Confidentiality Concerns
The need to maintain client confidentiality restricts the ways that OHOP housing coordinators and
other organizations and individuals can conduct outreach about their activities and resources. For
people living with HIV/AIDS, stigma and discrimination are significant factors in finding and
maintaining housing, accessing support services, and seeking medical care. People living with
HIV/AIDS often struggle with keeping their HIV status private, particularly from landlords and
neighbors. For this reason, OHOP staff and partners market their services quietly to avoid
disclosing to landlords and other providers that HOPWA is the source of housing assistance for
clients they place, or that clients qualify for OHOP via an HIV diagnosis. The need to maintain
privacy around HIV/AIDS-related services and programs such as OHOP can limit opportunities for
collaboration, outreach, and landlord education.
Moreover, CAAs and other community-based providers that would like to be able to make referrals
to the OHOP program do not necessarily know which of their clients are living with HIV/AIDS, or
how to ask for or provide information in a way that allows those individuals to maintain privacy.
3. Limited Staff Capacity
OHOP and HIV Care and Treatment staff have limited resources and time to conduct marketing and
outreach to mainstream housing and service providers, in addition to serving individual clients or
coordinating specific housing activities. In addition, these staff may lack familiarity with aspects of
partner systems, including affordable housing, and have limited training to expand this knowledge.
Integration with Housing and Service Systems
Affordable Housing Resources
Coordination and partnerships with affordable housing developers and providers (including housing
authorities) and affordable housing planning processes (such as the Consolidated Plan or Low
Income Housing Tax Credit processes) can lead to the development or dedication of new housing
resources, targeted either for people with disabilities in general or specifically for people living with
HIV/AIDS. Good communication can also lead affordable housing providers to prioritize existing
resources for people living with HIV/AIDS, whether because of an increased perception of this
population’s housing need or recognition of the resources that can be leveraged to serve them.
4. Prioritizing Participation Among Many Planning and Implementation Processes
Mechanisms for community input are frequently built in to affordable housing planning processes,
but it can be difficult for OHOP staff and partners to track the time-limited opportunities to provide