AIDS Community Residence Association

1. Do I qualify for ACRA's services?

2. What is "Scattered Site Housing?"

3. How many staff members does ACRA have?

1.  Do I qualify for ACRA's services?

BLEVINS HOUSE:
Applicant must be able to pay $1100+ monthly through personal funds, Medicaid, Social Security income, or other types of disability income.
Residents give up their disability income and receive a monthly allowance.

FITTS-POWELL APARTMENTS:
Applicant must qualify for Section 8 housing.
Residents of the Fitts-Powell Apartments must be able to live independently.
Rent is based on income, which includes Social Security income, disability income, and work income.
TOTAL INCOME must be lower than 50% of the median, adjusted for Durham County. This means that your annual income cannot exceed:
$21,800 for 1 person
$24,900 for 2 people
$28,050 for 3 people
$31,150 for 4 people
*Figures were updated April 2001, and will change from time to time.
Applicants with no income still qualify, but must be able to pay their own utilities.

BUCHANAN PLACE:
Residents of Buchanan Place must be able to live independently.
TOTAL INCOME must be lower than 25% of the median, adjusted for Durham County. This means that your annual income cannot exceed:
$10,900 for 1 person
$12,450 for 2 people
$14,000 for 3 people
$15,600 for 4 people
*Figures were updated April 2001, and will change from time to time.
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2.  What is "Scattered Site Housing?"

The fact that many people with HIV/AIDS are living longer, and often healthier, lives has repercussions on many forms of service delivery, including housing. The expansion of housing specifically for the use of people with HIV/AIDS has been slow, although the demand has more than tripled in the past few years. Additionally, the demand has shifted towards a greater need for housing for families with children.

This increased demand has prompted the AIDS Community Residence Association to bring a new model of housing for disabled HIV-positive individuals and families to the Triangle and North Carolina. “Scattered site” housing falls closer to the independent end of the housing continuum for people with HIV/AIDS, providing affordable housing and access to support services that allow residents to live as independently as they are capable within a mainstream setting.

Scattered site housing also:

• Is integrated throughout a community. It matches the context of the community and is non-stigmatizing

• Uses conventional housing development and financial strategies

• Is less expensive than institutionalization

• Gives residents a sense of place, control over where they live and with whom, and the security of tenancy

• Requires no staff on site
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3.  How many staff members does ACRA have?

Small projects such as Buchanan Place tend to integrate more easily into neighborhoods, and tend to make better homes where meaningful social ties are more likely to develop among residents. The neighborhoods themselves benefit from having fully-rented (not vacant), well-maintained apartment complexes.

Because ACRA is a housing-specific AIDS service organization, we view scattered site housing -- specifically, Buchanan Place -- as the next logical step in carrying out our core mission of providing diverse housing options for people living with HIV/AIDS.