Clare Housing promised $1 million in omnibus spending bill for new supportive housing project — January 3, 2023

Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith advocated for Clare Housing and other Minnesota nonprofits in the omnibus spending bill. In the 4,155-page legislation, a line item denotes that $1 million dollars will be set aside for Clare Housing.  This money will allow Clare Housing to pilot a no-barrier housing program, Clare Digs.  This program is designed to help unhoused people living with HIV to get housed without waiting. President Biden signed the bill on December 29, 2022.

This funding is the first step in realizing Clare Digs, a much-needed addition to the housing continuum in Minnesota. Clare Housing will use this money immediately to purchase and renovate a 4–6-unit property, providing immediate housing. Stable housing is the first step in helping people experiencing homelessness and living with HIV to access medical care to treat their HIV and reduce it to undetectable levels.

The Clare Digs project is led by Executive Director Phoebe Trepp in response to the HIV outbreak and surge in homelessness in the Twin Cities. “Clare Housing is elated at the news of this funding. We have been working hard to find a way to create more affordable, supportive housing to ensure that all Minnesotans living with HIV have a home. We are proud that our Senators have been involved in the long-term fight to end new HIV transmissions and expand housing programs. This funding will create new doors and housing for people who are unsheltered and are living with HIV in the midst of Minnesota’s first ever-declared HIV outbreak. Housing truly is healthcare!”

Clare Digs is a new model to be added to existing Clare Housing supportive housing programs. It will be a “no-barrier” option, requiring only that primary residents are HIV positive and unsheltered. Referred individuals will be able to choose who they want to live with in their supportive housing unit. The intention is to make housing available to those who haven’t found a fit with other housing options due to eligibility rules, extensive paperwork requirements and other rules that aren’t compatible with individual autonomy. Residents at Clare Digs will have support from Clare Housing case managers to help them adjust and work on finding a long-term solution to their housing needs.

Clare Housing provides a continuum of affordable and supportive housing options that create healing communities and optimize the health of people living with HIV/AIDS.  Housing is imperative to help individuals manage their HIV treatment. Annually 90% of Clare Housing residents become or maintain an undetectable viral load, meaning they cannot pass HIV to others.