The medicine works when the rest of life is stable enough to take it. Housing, food, transportation, mental-health care, and legal support are not extras for people living with HIV — they are what makes staying in care possible. These supports are called wrap-around services, and if you are a Ryan White client, most of them are already yours to ask for.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
If you only remember one number from this page, remember 2-1-1. It's a free, 24/7 community information and referral line that covers all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Trained specialists connect callers to local rent help, food, utilities, mental health, transportation, and case management — including HIV-specific programs where they exist.2
Dial 2-1-1 — free, 24/7, everywhere in the U.S.
2-1-1United Way-affiliated. Every county has a slightly different 2-1-1, but the number always works. If you can't call, visit 211.org to search by ZIP code and chat online.
Prefer to type? Visit 211.org to search by ZIP code and chat with a 2-1-1 specialist online.
Case management — the wrap-around unlock
This is the piece most people living with HIV don't know to ask for. Case management is the door that opens every other wrap-around service, and Ryan White clients are entitled to it.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 only federal housing program built specifically for people living with HIV. HUD funds it through state and local grantees who provide rental assistance, permanent supportive housing, and short-term emergency help.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
HUD's national line for people facing homelessness, eviction, or foreclosure. Free. Connects to HUD-approved housing counselors and local rental-assistance programs.
Call 1-800-CALL-FHAFlorida HOPWA — administered through DCF
Florida's HOPWA program is delivered through the Department of Children and Families and local lead agencies in each region. Rental assistance and short-term supportive housing for eligible people living with HIV.
Florida DCF HOPWA →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
Formerly known as "food stamps." SNAP provides monthly food benefits on an EBT card. HIV status alone does not qualify or disqualify anyone — eligibility is income-based. Find your state application at the USDA site.
USDA SNAP →Feeding America food bank locator
Feeding America is the largest national network of food banks — 200+ food banks and 60,000+ pantries. Enter your ZIP to find your nearest food bank or emergency pantry.
Find a food bank →Food is Medicine — medically tailored meals
Community-based programs delivering medically tailored meals to people living with HIV and other serious illnesses — God's Love We Deliver (NYC), Community Servings (Boston), MANNA (Philadelphia), and others across the country. Many are Ryan White Part B partners.
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
If you have Medicaid, you're entitled to free rides to medical appointments. Call the number on the back of your Medicaid card and ask for NEMT. Most states use a broker like MTM or Modivcare.
Medicaid NEMT →Ask your Ryan White case manager
Ryan White Part B in most states covers taxis, gas vouchers, or bus passes to medical appointments as a core support service. Your case manager can arrange it — often the same day.
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.
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.
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.
hivlawandpolicy.org →Under-requested services you can ask for
Ryan White pays for far more than most clients realize. These support services appear in the federal HRSA service list, but people rarely know to ask by name. If a service isn't listed at your clinic, ask your case manager anyway — many are delivered through partner organizations rather than the clinic directly.1
- Health insurance premium & cost-sharing assistance — help paying COBRA, marketplace, or Medicare premiums, plus copays and deductibles.
- Emergency financial assistance — one-time help with rent, utilities, or prescriptions when things fall apart.
- 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 — legal and practical planning for children when a parent is living with HIV.
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. Silence usually means the service is there — you just have to ask by name.
Florida — 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 through 15 area consortia across the state, so what's on offer in Miami-Dade may look different from what's on offer in the Panhandle — but the entitlement is the same everywhere.5
Florida also administers HOPWA housing through the Department of Children and Families, and runs the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) through Part B funding — the same source that supports wrap-around services. ADAP is separate from wrap-around, but if you qualify for one, your case manager can screen you for the other.6
How to reach a Florida Ryan White case manager: Call 2-1-1, contact your county health department's HIV/AIDS program, or start at the Florida DOH Ryan White Part B page. Ryan White services in Florida are free to eligible clients regardless of immigration status.
References & Sources
Primary federal, state, and national nonprofit sources. Every URL below opens the current program page as of 2026.
- HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program — Available Care and Services. Federal overview of Ryan White core medical services and support services, including case management, housing, food, transportation, medical nutrition therapy, premium assistance, respite care, and permanency planning. ↩
- 2-1-1 — United Way information & referral service. National directory covering all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Free, 24/7 by phone or web chat. ↩
- HUD — Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA). Federal HUD program page for the only federal housing program specifically for people living with HIV. ↩
- Medicaid — Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT). Federal Medicaid rules requiring states to provide medical transportation to eligible beneficiaries. ↩
- Florida Department of Health — HIV/AIDS Section. State agency that administers Ryan White Part B in Florida through 15 regional area consortia. ↩
- Florida DOH — Ryan White Part B Program. Eligibility, services, and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) as administered in Florida. ↩
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service — SNAP. Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility and application portal. ↩
- Feeding America — food bank locator. National network of 200+ food banks and 60,000+ community pantries. ↩
- 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. ↩