Everyone deserves access to safe, affordable housing without having to disclose their health status. Status: Home, Atlanta’s oldest and largest permanent supportive housing provider for families and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, believes that people impacted by HIV/AIDS deserve to more than simply survive, but to fully live as neighbors and thriving community members.
Established in 1988, Status: Home, formerly known as Jerusalem House, has been working in and with the City of Atlanta for more than 30 years. The non-profit offers a continuum of housing care through two residential programs, two master lease programs, and a temporary housing subsidy program. In addition, they provide an umbrella of care—long-term housing, healthcare resources, and supportive services—that have resulted in improved health outcomes with the majority of residents living with HIV/AIDS.
As stated on Status: Home’s website, the CDC has compared the impact of HIV/AIDS in Atlanta to that of a developing country. The risk of diagnosis in Georgia is a staggering 1 in 51, and Georgia has one of the highest HIV rates for adults and adolescents in the United States. Status: Home collaborates and partners with 25 organizations and community agencies to meet their residents’ changing needs and provide valuable services, free of charge, to enhance the quality of life. Services like medical care to dependency rehabilitation would otherwise be out of financial reach for their residents.
Reinvestment Fund financing is supporting Status: Home’s acquisition of two multifamily housing buildings in Atlanta that will expand their capacity to provide safe, affordable home options for people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS. Through this project, Status: Home will provide 42 affordable housing units for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS who are homeless or living below 300% of the poverty level.
Status: Home relies on funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, a reimbursement grant administered by the City of Atlanta. Reinvestment Fund is providing two acquisition bridge loans totaling $7.73 million to bridge the federal reimbursement. A regular co-lender of Reinvestment Fund, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP), will support our financing.
The loans are a continuation of the investment Reinvestment Fund made in 2022 to support equitable affordable housing for a vulnerable population. HIV/AIDS is one of the most socially stigmatized health conditions. Studies have reported that almost 70% of people living with HIV/AIDS face homelessness at some point during their lifetimes. Stable housing is an important structural intervention in successful HIV prevention and care.
This bridge financing will facilitate Status: Home’s plan to continue providing rental assistance and wraparound services to at least 700 households in the 29-county region around Atlanta each year. Status: Home will pay for acquisition and closing costs, as well as housing services for HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) recipients. These services include permanent supportive housing, tenant-based rental assistance, personal care assistance, counseling, and case management.
Status: Home sought housing in centrally located locations in the city of Atlanta that were closer to grocery stores, health care facilities, and public transportation, consistent with the goal of providing housing where people are near the services they need.
In acquiring these properties, Status: Home will follow the same model they have employed in other areas to ensure that residents feel welcome in the neighborhood without exposing their health status.
Learn more about our work in Atlanta here.