Federal grants totaling $19.6 million have been issued to provide support to low-income people in 20 states who are infected with the AIDS virus.
Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo said Monday the grants will help 11,000 people who have tested positive for HIV, including those with full-blown AIDS, remain in their homes or be provided with housing if they are homeless.The grants, which were awarded to community organizations on a competitive basis, represent 10 percent of a $196 million program. The larger share of the money earlier was awarded to states and cities according to a formula based on the number of AIDS cases re-port-ed.
The $19.6 million in grant aid is being made available to communities in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.