$900,000 Increase to Los Angeles Contract for HIV/AIDS Housing Assistance Goes Before City Committee

The Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee is scheduled to consider a recommendation on Wednesday, June 3, that would authorize the City Manager to amend Contract No. 24,130 with the City of Los Angeles by $900,000 to support continued rental assistance for very low-income Pasadena residents living with HIV/AIDS through Fiscal Year 2028.

The recommendation, if forwarded to and approved by the City Council, would increase the total not-to-exceed value of the contract to $1,597,660. Because the committee is strictly advisory, any action at the June 3 meeting would be a recommendation only; the City Council retains final authority and is scheduled to consider the amendments at its June 8 meeting.

According to the staff report, the funding supports the federal Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program, which provides 12 months of rental assistance via housing vouchers to very low-income individuals and families diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Applicants are referred to the program by the Foothill AIDS Project. After the initial 12 months of assistance, program participants typically transition to the Housing Choice Voucher Program for ongoing rental assistance.

The proposed amendments would be executed in two phases. The first amendment would add $400,000 to the contract, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $1,097,660, and extend the contract term through June 30, 2027. A second amendment would add up to $500,000 and extend the term through June 30, 2028, contingent on the availability of Fiscal Year 2028 program funds. Together, the two amendments would provide rental assistance for approximately 16 new and ongoing very low-income Pasadena households living with HIV/AIDS annually.

If the City Council ultimately approves the recommendations, the action would have no direct fiscal impact, according to the staff report. The first amendment’s $400,000 is already included in the Housing Department’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget, and the second amendment’s $500,000 would be subject to the availability of Fiscal Year 2028 program funds.

The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program was established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1991 under the AIDS Housing Opportunities Act to support housing assistance and services for low-income people with HIV/AIDS and their families. The department awards program funds to one government entity in each metropolitan area, and the City of Los Angeles serves as the coordinating agency administering the program for all of Los Angeles County. The Pasadena Department of Housing has administered the local tenant-based rental assistance program since 1995.

The City Council originally authorized Contract No. 24,130 with the City of Los Angeles on July 21, 2025, to sustain the city’s program through Fiscal Year 2026. Staff also recommend that the City Council find the proposed actions exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under the “general rule” provision in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), which applies where there is no possibility that the activities could have a significant effect on the environment.

The Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3, in the Council Chamber, Room S249, Pasadena City Hall, 100 North Garfield Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.