The purpose of the HOPWA program is to assist low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families in achieving housing stability
and accessing the resources necessary to achieve such stability. That is why comprehensive assessments of housing and other service needs
of a participating household and related plans to achieve housing stability are crucial elements in the documentation of all HOPWA activities.
In fact, HOPWA regulations require grantees to ensure that project sponsors conduct such assessments for every household that receives services.
Essentially, every HOPWA client file should contain evidence of housing assessments and housing stability planning.
Comprehensive assessments would include information regarding the nature and stability of the household’s current housing situation,
evaluating current barriers to housing stability, and tracking recent housing history. Housing plans for stability would address
the household’s barriers to stability, including the referral to mainstream resources and both HOPWA and non-HOPWA housing assistance.
Client records should track progress towards meeting stability goals. Finally, the grantee and project sponsors should both have policies
and procedures that lay out standards for client assessment and planning. And it is a best practice for grantees to develop and distribute
standard assessment and planning tools for use by all of their project sponsors, in order to ensure consistency and quality.