Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS

The DSHS Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program helps eligible persons living with HIV and their households establish or maintain affordable and stable housing, reduce their risk of homelessness, and improve their access to healthcare and supportive services. The DSHS HIV Care and Medications Unit administers the State of Texas HOPWA formula grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). DSHS authorizes the following program activities:

  • Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) 
    TBRA provides an ongoing and portable rental subsidy that helps households obtain or maintain permanent housing in the private rental housing market, including assistance for shared housing arrangements, until they can enroll in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) or other affordable housing programs. Under TBRA, households select a housing unit of their choice. TBRA pays the difference between the household’s calculated monthly rent payment and the rent specified in their lease agreement. The gross rent of the proposed unit cannot exceed the lower of the rent standard or reasonable rent.
     
  • Short-Term Rent, Mortgage, and Utility (STRMU)
    STRMU provides short-term rent, mortgage, and utility payments for households experiencing a financial crisis related to their HIV health condition or a change in their economic circumstances. STRMU helps prevent homelessness by enabling households to remain in their own homes.
     
  • Facility-Based Housing Assistance (FBHA)
    FBHA encompasses all expenditures for or associated with supportive housing facilities, including community residences, single-room occupancy (SRO) dwellings, short-term facilities, project-based rental assistance units, master leased units, and other housing facilities approved by HUD. The DSHS HOPWA Program currently limits FBHA to Short-Term Supportive Housing (STSH) and Transitional Supportive Housing (TSH) services.
     
  • Permanent Housing Placement (PHP)
    PHP helps households access, secure, and establish a permanent residence, which they will maintain either on their own or with ongoing rental assistance. Eligible PHP housing assistance costs include, but are not limited to, application fees, first and last month’s rent, and reasonable utility and security deposits required for lease approval and occupancy.
     
  • Housing Case Management (HCM)
    HCM plays a vital role in HOPWA Supportive Services and can contribute to successful program outcomes for housing stability and access to care. HCM primarily concerns housing issues, including housing options, stability, and goals. The intensity or level of HCM provided to a household will depend on the household’s assessed level of need.
     
  • Housing Information Services (HIS)
    HIS include, but are not limited to, counseling, information, and referral services to assist households with locating, acquiring, financing, and maintaining housing. This may also include fair housing guidance for households that have encountered discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age, national origin, familial status, or disability.
     
  • Resource Identification
    Resource Identification encompasses activities that establish, coordinate, and develop housing assistance resources for eligible households (including preliminary research and expenditures necessary to determine the feasibility of specific housing-related initiatives).

DSHS HOPWA Program Service Providers

Agencies across the state receive DSHS HOPWA Program funding. Please contact your local service provider to request housing assistance.

The DSHS HOPWA Program provides standardized program forms to assist Project Sponsors with household program enrollment and service delivery. DSHS requires Project Sponsors to use the latest versions of these forms, complete them accurately, and maintain them in each household’s record. DSHS last updated these program forms on August 1, 2025. Project Sponsors may implement them immediately, but must implement them by September 1, 2025.


DSHS HOPWA Program Manual and Guides

The manual and guides provide an overview of the DSHS HOPWA Program. They do not replace existing guidance produced by HUD. For additional information about the HOPWA program, please visit the HUD Exchange HOPWA page.

DSHS HOPWA Program Manual and Guides

DSHS HOPWA Program – Enrollment Forms

 File Structure Checklist
Form ASelf-Declaration of Income (English/Spanish)
Form BSelf-Declaration of Residency (English/Spanish)
Form CHousehold Income Eligibility Worksheet
Form DHOPWA Program Agreement (English/Spanish)
Form EDemographic and Statistical Data
Form FConsent to Release and/or Obtain Confidential Information (English/Spanish)
Form GHousing Quality Standards Certification

DSHS HOPWA Program – Service Forms

TBRA and/or TSH
Form H/IRental Assistance Workbook
Form JHousing Choice Voucher/Other Affordable Housing Waiver
STRMU and/or STSH
Form K1STRMU Tracking Worksheet
Form K2STSH Tracking Worksheet
PHP
Form LPHP Intent to Lease Worksheet
HCM
Form MBudget Worksheet
Form NHousing Plan

DSHS HOPWA Program – Interim Recertification Forms (if applicable)

Form OInterim Recertification Worksheet (English/Spanish)

DSHS HOPWA Program – Outcome Data and Program Disenrollment Forms

Form PService Outcome Assessment and Program Disenrollment Worksheet

DSHS HOPWA Program – Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Materials

VAWACertification Form (English) | Certification Form (Spanish)
VAWAEmergency Transfer Form (English) | Emergency Transfer Form (Spanish)
VAWAEmergency Transfer Plan (English) | Emergency Transfer Plan (Spanish)
VAWALease Addendum (English) | Lease Addendum (Spanish)
VAWANotice of Occupancy Rights (English) | Notice of Occupancy Rights (Spanish)

DSHS HOPWA Program – Reporting Documents

HOPWA Categorical Budget
HOPWA Certification of Categorical Exclusion
HOPWA Exhibit A: Summary of Semi-Annual and Annual HOPWA Expenditures
HOPWA Exhibit B: Summary of Monthly HOPWA Expenditures
HOPWA Program Progress Report (PPR) for Administrative Agencies
HOPWA Program Progress Report (PPR) for Project Sponsors
HOPWA Project Sponsor Contact Information
HOPWA Project Sponsor Data Sheet
HOPWA Reallocation Request 

DSHS HOPWA Program – Request for Proposal (RFP)/Renewal Application

HOPWA 2025 Contract Amendment Application

DSHS HOPWA Program – Monitoring Tool

HOPWA Program Monitoring Tool for 9/1/2024 to 8/31/2025 
HOPWA  Program Monitoring Tool for 9/1/2025 to 8/31/2026

DSHS HOPWA Program – Sample Documents

HOPWA Sample File
HOPWA Sample Tracking Tool

DSHS HOPWA Program Action Plans and Annual Reports

Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plans

Annual Report