An Enhanced Housing Placement Assistance (EHPA) Program for Homeless Persons Living With HIV/AIDS in New York City

Approximately 800 persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) reside in HIV emergency single-room-occupancy (SRO) hotels in New York City and do not have the ability to secure permanent housing on their own. The study evaluated a pilot program which fast-tracked PLWHA from HIV emergency SRO hotels into permanent housing. The Enhanced Housing Placement Assistance (EHPA) program had three components: 1) active recruitment of emergency SRO hotel residents with high need for housing; 2) assistance in the rapid (fast-track) acquisition of permanent housing; and 3) participation in a 12-month support services program designed to prevent PLWHA from relapsing into homelessness, with services focused on increasing clients' capacity to live independently and maintain housing stability. Participants were randomly assigned to either 1) EHPA or 2) usual care, which included standard connections to services and housing programs offered by the New York City HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA), Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA), or Ryan White services, and were followed over twelve months using a questionnaire developed with significant input from the target population of PLWHA residing in emergency SRO hotels.