Housing, food, transportation, mental-health care, and legal support can make staying in HIV care easier. These wrap-around services may be available through Ryan White and other programs. Ask about eligibility, local funding, and waitlists; enrollment does not guarantee every service.1
Ryan White clinics fund social workers and case managers whose entire job is connecting people to wrap-around services. If you already have a Ryan White case manager, they are the fastest path. This page is for the times you don't have one yet, or you need to find something between appointments.
Start here — one call to 2-1-1
Call 2-1-1 for community information and referrals, or use 211.org to find your local service. The network reaches communities across the country and can help locate food, housing, transportation, and other assistance. Local hours and contact channels vary.2
Dial 2-1-1 — local information and referrals
2-1-1Local 211 organizations provide information and referrals. If dialing 2-1-1 does not connect, use 211.org to find another local contact number and available online options.
Prefer to type? Visit 211.org to find your local 211 website and check whether text or chat is available.
Case management — the wrap-around unlock
Case management can help connect you to care and support. Ryan White allows medical and non-medical case management, but availability and eligibility depend on the local program. Ask a clinic or HIV service organization how to get connected.1
There are two kinds, and you can ask for either or both.
Medical case management
A dedicated coordinator who helps you stay in care: keeping appointments, understanding lab results, refilling prescriptions, and troubleshooting when treatment feels hard. Usually based at your Ryan White clinic, working directly with your medical team.
Non-medical case management (NMCM)
The wrap-around specialist. NMCM helps you access housing, food benefits, transportation, mental-health care, legal aid, insurance premium help, and other support. Sometimes housed at your clinic, sometimes at a community-based organization funded by Ryan White Part B in your state.
How to ask: Say to any Ryan White clinic, community-based HIV organization, or 2-1-1 specialist: "I'd like to be connected to a Ryan White case manager." You can also call your state Ryan White Part B program directly. There's no wrong door.
Housing — HOPWA and beyond
HOPWA — Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS is the federal housing program specifically for low-income people living with HIV and their families. It funds state and local grantees; eligibility, available assistance, and waiting lists vary.3
HOPWA — Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS
HUD's national HIV housing program. HOPWA doesn't run housing directly — it funds local grantees (cities, states, and nonprofits) who provide rental assistance and supportive housing. Search for your local HOPWA grantee.
HOPWA program page →HUD housing counseling & assistance line
Call HUD’s housing-counseling locator to find a HUD-approved counseling agency. Ask the agency about rental, eviction, or foreclosure counseling and any fees. This is a referral service, not a guarantee of emergency housing or rental assistance.
Call 1-800-CALL-FHAFlorida HOPWA — state and city programs
HUD-funded housing assistance for eligible people living with HIV and their families. Florida DOH lists state and city providers by service area; contact the provider serving your county about eligibility and availability.
Florida HOPWA providers →Food — SNAP, food banks, and medically tailored meals
Food insecurity makes every part of HIV care harder — from taking medication on schedule to healing from illness. Federal SNAP benefits, the Feeding America network, and HIV-specific meal programs each fill a different piece of the picture.
SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
SNAP provides food benefits on an EBT card. HIV status alone does not establish eligibility. Household income, resources where applicable, and other federal and state rules apply. Use the USDA site to find your state’s application and current requirements.7
USDA SNAP →Feeding America food bank locator
Use Feeding America’s locator to find a nearby food bank and ask about local distributions, pantry hours, and eligibility.8
Find a food bank →Food is Medicine — medically tailored meals
Some community programs deliver medically tailored meals to people living with HIV or other serious illnesses. Examples include God’s Love We Deliver in New York City, Community Servings in Massachusetts, and MANNA in Philadelphia. Service areas, referral requirements, costs, and funding differ; ask a case manager about local options.
Food is Medicine Coalition →Also under Ryan White: "Medical nutrition therapy" is a separate core medical service — one-on-one sessions with a registered dietitian, paid for by Ryan White. Different from a food bank. Ask your case manager or clinic if you want a referral.1
Transportation to appointments
Missing HIV appointments because of a broken car or a bus you can't afford is a solvable problem — not a personal failing. Ryan White Part B covers medical transportation in most states, and Medicaid covers non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) in all 50.4
Medicaid NEMT — Non-Emergency Medical Transportation
Medicaid programs must assure necessary transportation to covered care. Call your plan or state Medicaid program to ask about eligibility, approved transportation, booking deadlines, and any applicable rules. Arrange transportation before the appointment; do not assume every ride is covered.
Medicaid NEMT →Ask your Ryan White case manager
Ryan White allows medical transportation as a support service, which may include approved bus passes, vouchers, or other arrangements. Ask your case manager about local coverage and how far ahead to book.
HRSA services overview →Mental health & substance use
The full breakdown of HIV and mental health lives on the Wellness hub. This section is the fastest path in — the two finders that actually work today.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential, 24/7 helpline for mental-health and substance-use referrals. Available in English and Spanish. Not for active crisis — for crisis, use 988.9
Call 1-800-662-4357SAMHSA behavioral health treatment locator
Federal treatment locator for mental health and substance use, including providers experienced with HIV. Filter by insurance, language, and specialty.
findtreatment.samhsa.gov →In crisis: Call or text 988 — the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Free, confidential, 24/7. Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ youth): 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678.
Legal help
Housing discrimination, workplace issues, immigration, benefits denials, HIV criminalization — all have legal answers. Two national doors get you to the right advocate.
LawHelp.org — free legal aid by state
Directory of free legal aid programs for people with low incomes — housing, benefits, family law, immigration, and more. Discrimination related to HIV is often covered.10
LawHelp.org →Center for HIV Law & Policy
National legal resource center for HIV. If you're facing HIV criminalization, discrimination, immigration, or benefits issues, CHLP can help identify the right advocate or attorney.11
hivlawandpolicy.org →Under-requested services you can ask for
HRSA permits the following categories of assistance, with specific conditions. A local clinic may fund only some of them, and some have waiting lists. Ask a case manager about eligibility and partner organizations.1
- Health insurance premium & cost-sharing assistance — help paying COBRA, marketplace, or Medicare premiums, plus copays and deductibles.
- Emergency financial assistance — limited assistance for urgent needs, subject to local rules and HRSA limits.
- Linguistic services — interpretation and translation at medical and support appointments.
- Child care services — while you attend medical or case-management appointments.
- Respite care — short-term relief for family caregivers of a person living with HIV.
- Psychosocial support services — peer support groups, bereavement care, and coping support.
- Outreach services — active engagement for people who have fallen out of care.
- Permanency planning — eligible legal planning for dependents may be funded under other professional services.
Every state runs Ryan White Part B differently. If a service isn't offered locally, ask your case manager whether it's available through a nearby jurisdiction or a partner organization. Availability and eligibility vary; ask about local options and referrals.
Florida In Focus — how the pieces fit together
Florida's Ryan White Part B program is administered by the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Communicable Diseases, HIV/AIDS Section. Services are coordinated regionally, so what is available in Miami-Dade may differ from the Panhandle. Local programs, funding, and eligibility determine the services available.5
HOPWA housing assistance is funded through HUD’s state and city programs. Florida DOH lists local HOPWA providers. ADAP, funded through Ryan White Part B, is a separate medication-assistance program. A case manager can help you check each program’s eligibility.6
To find a Florida case manager: contact your county HIV program or search HRSA’s care locator. Immigration status is not a Ryan White eligibility factor; documented HIV status, low income, and service-area residence are. Ask about local services and any charges rather than assuming every service is free.
References & Sources
Program pages and guidance from federal, state, and nonprofit sources.
- HRSA. PCN 16-02: allowable core medical and support service categories, with eligibility and funding restrictions; revised January 28, 2026. Source. ↩
- United Way 211. National network and local information/referral services; contact channels vary. Source. ↩
- HUD. Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA): assistance for low-income people with HIV and their families. Source. ↩
- CMS. Medicaid assurance of necessary transportation to covered care. Source. ↩
- Florida Department of Health — HIV/AIDS Section. State agency that administers Ryan White Part B in Florida through 15 regional area consortia. ↩
- HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program — Part B: Grants to States and Territories. Federal Part B program overview, including the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). ↩
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service — SNAP. Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility and application portal. ↩
- Feeding America. Find a local food bank. Source. ↩
- SAMHSA — National Helpline (1-800-662-4357). Federal free, confidential 24/7 helpline for mental health and substance use referrals. ↩
- LawHelp.org — free legal aid directory. National directory of legal aid programs by state. ↩
- Center for HIV Law & Policy. National legal resource center for HIV criminalization, discrimination, immigration, and benefits issues. ↩