October 5, 2009

Dallas Receives Federal Funding for Prisoner-Focused HIV/AIDS Programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the city of Dallas $247,000 for its HIV/AIDS Initiative for Re-Entry (HIRE) program, the Dallas Voice reports. HIRE is an outreach and prevention program for positive people who are being released from prison. 

City Councilwoman Angela Hunt said September 28 that the grant was critical because the council had cut $325,000 for HIV/AIDS outreach and prevention from the 2009–10 budget.

According to the article, the incoming HIRE money will be funneled into three areas: a program called Project Reconnect that provides case-management to nonviolent parolees; a city pilot project called Dallas One-Stop Optimized Re-Entry System that helps recently released prisoners; and outside HIV/AIDS service providers that can provide similar services.

Dallas has also applied for another $250,000 federal grant for outreach and prevention that would be used to curb HIV transmission among high-risk minority adolescents.

NEW! Scroll down to comment on this story.

Previous Comments:

Michael, Haslett, 2009-10-06 15:54:24
It is nice that Dallas is getting this money, but I hate it when anyone gets money like this that is steered for only certain people with HIV/AIDS and not everyone, or to help prevention only for certain groups of people and not everyone.