(Watermark file photo)
ORLANDO | The Corporation for Supportive Housing has awarded Orange County Health Services a $1 million grant to help local youth and young adults living with HIV find homes.
“Supporting Replication of Housing Interventions,” or SURE grants, were awarded to 10 nationwide applicants that use the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, Orange County being one of them. Orange County’s grant request was in collaboration with Zebra Youth, a local organization that helps at-risk LGBTQ+ youth find housing, food, education, mental health care and many other issues.
The Ryan White Program is a national program that helps provide services for HIV positive individuals that cannot afford to cover their own medical expenses, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The grant will be awarded over the next three years.
“This new grant will help us fill a housing gap in the community,” said Orange County Health Services Fiscal and Operational Support Division manager, Claudia Yabrudy, in a press release. “Clients enrolled in the SURE Housing Initiative are provided housing assistance for up to two years and are connected to medical and support services under the Ryan White Part A Program.”
The funds will be provided to Zebra Youth through the Orange County Health Services. Zebra Youth will use the funding to provide case management services and housing assistance, as well as act as a resource for connecting those in need to the Ryan White Part A.
Through the Part A program, 75% of the Ryan White funds are used directly on core medical services, while 25% of the funds are for support services.
Core services include AIDS drug assistance treatments, AIDS pharmaceutical assistance, early intervention services, health insurance premium and cost sharing, home and community based health services, home health care, hospice, medical case management, medical nutrition therapy, mental health services, oral health care, outpatient health services and substance abuse care.
“Getting this grant sends an important message that we have support from the county, which is proactive in securing these grants and providing these much-needed resources,” said Zebra Youth Executive Director Heather Wilkie, in the release.
The LGBTQ+ population is at a greater risk for HIV, Wilkie said, making funding like the SURE grant critical in serving those living with the virus.
“Rapid rehousing helps with case management because the program connects them to prescriptions, oversight and doctors’ appointments, plus follow through, so they can stay healthy,” she said.
Go to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Part A Program for more information. For more information about Zebra Youth’s services and programs, go to Zebra Youth.
