# Durham HOPWA Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan Community Kickoff October 28, 2026


**Body:** City of Durham NC 
**Date:** October 27, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Healthcare, Professional Services, Grants & Funding


The City of Durham Housing and Neighborhood Services held a community kickoff on October 28, 2026, for a HOPWA needs assessment and strategic plan, with the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) supporting the work. The project will review HOPWA, HIV, housing, homelessness, HMIS, and Ryan White data and combine those findings with input from people living with HIV, service providers, and community partners. The goal is to set measurable priorities and actionable strategies for using HOPWA resources and strengthening partnerships. The city described the effort as covering all HOPWA funding and examining current conditions and challenges as well as future use; no funding allocations, contract amounts, or procurement approvals were discussed, and no votes were taken.

Poll responses identified affordable and long-term housing, housing with supportive services, income instability, and limited coordination among housing and health systems as key concerns. Participants emphasized involving people living with HIV directly; TAC said it would create dedicated engagement opportunities and compensate people with lived experience, though no compensation amounts were provided. In-person interviews and community sessions were planned for November 17–19, followed by a strategic planning session tentatively scheduled for January 12–14, 2027. The meeting identified TAC as the city’s selected partner for this work but provided no contract number or award details.

**Source:** City of Durham NC