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66 Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan resolution declaring a State of Emergency due to the prevalence ofHIV/AIDS rates in its African- American community. It was the first local government in the United States to declare a regional disaster because ofHIV. The declaration was aimed to draw attention to the seriousness of the issue and to help develop new resources to address the situation.74 In 1999, the Board of Supervisors declared a State of Emergency regarding the transmission of HI V I AIDS and hepatitis via the use of contaminated needles. In the 12 months prior to that point, injection drug users represented nearly half of new HIV infections at public health test sites. This State of Emergency made a needle exchange program possible. From 1980 to the end of 2003, 20 percent of the people living in Alameda County who were diagnosed and reported as living with AIDS had injection drug use as a mode of transmission. This plan estimates that housing assistance is needed for 4,890 people living with HIV/AIDS who have extremely low incomes and are at-risk of becoming homeless, as well as 46 people living with HIV/AlDS in the chronically homeless population and 168 people living with HIV/AIDS in the community-defined homeless population. (Please see Housing Assistance Needs of People Who Are Homeless and/or Have Special Needs for more detail.) Dedicated Funding for Housing and Services for People Living with HIV/AIDS There are two primary federal programs that fund programs for people living with HIV / AIDS in the United States: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPW A), a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, a program of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Both of these programs provide a significant amount of support to housing and service programs in Alameda County.75 The Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department and Alameda County Public Health Department Office of AIDS Administration both contributed funding to support the development of the Alameda County Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan. In addition, funding from HUD's National HOPWA Technical Assistance Program supported this effort. Housina ODDortunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) HOPW A was established in 1992 to address the specific housing-related needs of people living with HIV / AIDS and their families. HOPW A is a cornerstone for the HIV / AIDS housing continuum available in most communities; as such, sound program management is essential and integration with local planning efforts, such as HUD's Consolidated Plan and the Continuum of Care, a requirement. The primary projected outcomes of the HOPW A program are increased housing stability, decreased risk of homeless ness, and increased access to care for persons living with HIV/AIDS. 74 "Alameda County Takes Bold Steps: Declaring a State of Emergency in the African American Community to combat the AIDS epidemic," District 5 News. Available online: www.co.alameda.ca.us/board/district5/news/2000/aids.htm (Accessed: April 7, 2005). 7 The Alameda County Housing and Community Dcvelopment Department and Alameda County Public Health Department's Office of AIDS Administration both contributed funding to support the development of the Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan. In addition, funding from HUD's National HOPW A Technical Assistance Program supported this effort.