Florida State Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program

The Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Communicable Diseases, HIV Patient Care and Treatment Access Program is administering RFA25-004 for the Florida State Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program. The program operates under Title 24 CFR Part 574 and applicable Florida public health and HIV/AIDS program authorities. HOPWA is a federally funded housing program designed to address the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Through this RFA, the Department seeks project sponsors that will provide housing and supportive services to eligible people living with HIV/AIDS and their families and provide administrative oversight of the services funded through resulting contracts. The program is intended to reduce the risk of homelessness among people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, establish or maintain stable living environments, and improve access to HIV treatment and other health care support. Applicants must serve one or more of the designated Florida service areas listed in the RFA. An applicant choosing an area must serve all counties grouped within that area. The ten designated areas collectively include 52 Florida counties. Applicants may apply for multiple areas. The source lists $8,132,933 in available funding per contract year across all areas, subject to federal appropriations and funding availability. The RFA anticipates a five-year contract period beginning October 1, 2026, or the contract execution date if later, and ending June 30, 2031. Contracts may also have two one-year renewal options, subject to written agreement, satisfactory performance, and available funding. There is no matching funds requirement. Allowable activities include administrative costs, transitional or short-term supported housing, permanent housing placement, short-term rent, mortgage, and utility assistance, tenant-based rental assistance, resource identification, housing case management, and supportive services directly related to housing stability and client well-being. Administrative costs may not exceed 7 percent of the total proposed budget. Eligible client households must meet applicable Florida State HOPWA eligibility requirements, including having at least one person with HIV in the household, meeting applicable core eligibility rules, and having household income at or below 80 percent of area median income. Applicants must comply with applicable HOPWA policies, federal regulations, Florida HIV patient-care eligibility requirements, HUD guidance, and Department data security and confidentiality requirements. Public and non-profit entities are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants should be active in community-focused and collaborative efforts that bring together agencies, community groups, academic institutions, and other organizations addressing health, housing, or social concerns. Corporate applicants must provide evidence of corporate status, and organizations applying as non-profits must document qualifying non-profit status. The application narrative consists of a Project Summary, Statement of Need, Objectives, Program Plan, Evaluation Plan, and Management Plan. Appendices include five yearly Budget Summaries and five yearly Budget Narratives, applicable partner agreements, organizational capacity documentation, proof of non-profit status when applicable, an organizational chart, key personnel resumes and contact information, a current board roster, a homelessness planning coalition participation letter, support or commitment letters, and required lobbying and debarment documentation. Applicants identifying subcontractors must also provide the required subcontractor information. Applications may only be submitted electronically through the Florida Department of Health Automated Upload System at https://requestforapplications.floridahealth.gov. The application must be signed by an individual authorized to bind the applicant organization. The required naming convention is RFA#-Provider Name-Program Specific Information, such as RFA25-004-FDOH-HOPWA. Accepted file types are PDF, XLS, XLSX, DOC, and DOCX, with a maximum submitted document size of 28 MB. Applicants are encouraged to upload early and must click the Upload button before the exact deadline. The system provides a Session Key after submission, which applicants should retain as proof of submission and for any later overwrite of previously uploaded files. Questions concerning the RFA were due March 26, 2026, by email to RequestforApplication@flhealth.gov using the subject line RFA25-004 Questions. Applications were released March 13, 2026, and were due May 19, 2026, at 5:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Evaluation was anticipated to begin May 21, 2026, and awards were anticipated on or about July 2, 2026. Applications are screened for completeness and responsiveness before review. Responsive applications are scored by an objective review committee and may receive up to 100 points: Project Summary 5 points, Statement of Need 15 points, Objectives 15 points, Program Plan 20 points, Evaluation Plan 10 points, Management Plan 20 points, and Appendices 15 points. Funding decisions remain at the sole discretion of the Department and depend on available funds, regardless of evaluation scores. The Department may revise proposed plans and negotiate final funding before contract execution. Successful project sponsors must carry out extensive performance, case-management, eligibility, data-entry, financial, and reporting responsibilities. These include maintaining HOPWA housing case managers, documenting client eligibility and housing plans, completing required client forms, reviewing at least 10 percent of eligible client files each month, reporting expenditures and demographic information, conducting annual client satisfaction surveys of at least 5 percent of clients, completing HOPWA performance reporting and the HUD CAPER workbook, documenting leveraged non-HOPWA resources, and complying with Department security and confidentiality requirements. The RFA does not state that this solicitation recurs annually or on another regular schedule, so no future application cycle can be inferred from the source.

Prioritize the Program Plan and Management Plan because each is worth 20 points. Tie objectives directly to documented housing needs, gaps, barriers, and expected outcomes, and make the Evaluation Plan capable of demonstrating whether funded activities improve housing and health outcomes. Demonstrate relevant HIV/AIDS or housing-program experience and organizational capacity. Use the official forms, observe page limits and formatting rules, provide five annual budgets and narratives, keep administrative costs at or below 7%, serve every county in each selected area, upload before the exact deadline, and retain the Session Key.