Portland, OR | August 1, 2016 - Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) and Bradley Angle are pleased to announce the receipt of grant funding in the amount of $713,134. The grant will support the “Katie Project”, a program designed to help HIV-positive domestic violence survivors in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area connect with the housing and supportive services they need to live healthy and safe lives. The funds will be managed by the Portland Housing Bureau while CAP and Bradley Angle will administer the project’s day-to-day programming.

The Katie Project is named after an HIV-positive woman who came to Cascade AIDS Project seeking help finding housing for her and her son. (Her name and identifying information have been changed to protect her identity.) They were escaping Katie’s abusive husband and needed assistance with everything from tapping into financial resources to maintaining medical care to finding housing that would allow her son to continue attending the same school and would let them keep their dog—an important part of the family’s stability.

The way Katie handled these challenges is inspiring. Five years later, she’s emotionally and physically healthy. She’s financially stable, and her son is thriving in high school. Katie is one of many individuals who benefit from a thoughtful, effective collaboration between housing, AIDS services, and domestic violence organizations.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with Bradley Angle and the City of Portland to offer these vital services,” said CAP Executive Director, Tyler TerMeer. “HIV-positive individuals experience domestic violence at higher rates than the general population. Collaborating with the City and Bradley Angle allows us to work with this population to get them into safe and stable housing situations.” Studies show that once in safe housing, people with HIV are better able to access comprehensive health care and supportive services, get on HIV treatment, and take their HIV medication consistently which results in better health outcomes for the individual and the community.

“The Katie Project is the kind of nonprofit effort that truly transforms lives for the long term,” stated Bradley Angle Executive Director, Jackie Yerby. “This intervention will respond to the complex challenges participants experience when surviving domestic violence and living with HIV. Every survivor’s story is unique. So are their needs. And so too must be the support we offer.”

Grant funding was made available by the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program. The HOPWA Program is the only Federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Under the HOPWA Program, HUD makes grants to local communities, States, and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families.