President Obama Lifts Ryan White Housing Cap; Amidst Blizzard, Hundreds of PLWHAs Rejoice and Keep Their Homes

New York City, Thursday, February 11, 2010 – While New York and most of the East Coast were busy dealing with a huge snow storm yesterday, President Obama lifted the 24-month lifetime cap on Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding for housing assistance (a Bush administration policy). For hundreds of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS, this is great news. Had President Obama not lifted the cap and reversed the policy, these individuals and families would have become homeless starting next month.

Studies show that stable housing is essential for improving health outcomes of people living with HIV/AIDS, including increased CD4 counts, reduced viral loads, and fewer ER visits and hospitalizations. Like other cities across the country, New York City uses a small portion of federal Ryan White funding to provide rental subsidies for homeless people with HIV/AIDS who do not qualify for other sources of housing assistance. Without support from Ryan White, many more would have found themselves homeless in New York.

The Latino Commission on AIDS thanks New York City Congress Members Ackerman, Crowley, Engel, Maloney, Nadler, Rangel and Serrano who signed onto a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius urging the administration to reverse the policy. We also thank our friends at the National AIDS Housing Coalition and the National Association of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) for working with federal officials in Washington D.C. to change the policy and to the New York City AIDS Housing Network for leading regional efforts.

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ABOUT THE LATINO COMMISSION ON AIDS
The Latino Commission on AIDS (Commission) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1990 dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino/Hispanic communities. The Commission is the leading national Latino AIDS organization coordinating National Latino AIDS Awareness Day and other prevention and advocacy programs across the United States and its territories. For more information visit: www.latinoaids.org or www.nlaad.org. UNIDOS PODEMOS / UNITED WE CAN


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