HRSA Delays Implementation of Ryan White Housing Policy

	U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration HRSA NEWS ROOM http://newsroom.hrsa.gov

February 23, 2007

Contact: HRSA Press Office
301-443-3376

HRSA Delays Implementation of Ryan White Housing Policy

HRSA has announced that it will delay implementation of a policy amendment on HIV/AIDS housing assistance that was to take effect on March 1.

The amendment to HRSA 's HIV/AIDS Bureau Policy 99-02 (The Use of Ryan White CARE Act Funds for Housing Referral Services and Short-term or Emergency Housing Needs ) would limit short-term and emergency housing assistance to 24 months for households inhabited by people living with HIV/AIDS. The delay will allow time for HRSA to review the more than 150 comments received from consumers, constituent groups, and Congress regarding the change in policy that was announced in a Federal Register notice on December 6, 2006.

“We take very seriously the concerns raised about this policy change, and we will take the time necessary to review all of the comments we received,” said HRSA Administrator Betty Duke. The policy change will be delayed until further notice.

The original housing policy, issued in May 1999, was designed to provide financial assistance and temporary or transitional housing for individuals with HIV/AIDS undergoing medical care. It did not require specific time limits for short-term or emergency housing assistance, however, and the Office of the Inspector General encouraged HRSA to clarify its housing policy.

HRSA 's HIV/AIDS Bureau oversees the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006, which provides medical care, medications and support services to more than 530,000 individuals every year.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.