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Minnesota Now with Nina Moini
Cathy Wurzer, Estelle Timar-Wilcox, Anna Haecherl and Alanna Elder

The Aliveness Project to get nearly $2 million fund transfer from Rainbow Health to close HIV care gap

A check-in kiosk in a waiting room
The empty waiting room at Rainbow Health’s offices in Minneapolis is pictured on July 22.
Ben Hovland | MPR News

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It’s been nearly two weeks since Twin Cities-based Rainbow Health suddenly announced it was shutting down due to financial problems.

The closure of the LGBTQ+ and HIV health clinic opens a huge gap in services like housing programs, benefits counseling, legal services and case management.

Many of those services operated with funding from state and local governments, which are now looking for different organizations to run them. The Aliveness Project, another HIV services organization in the Twin Cities, is taking on state contracts to offer financial assistance.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is transferring former Rainbow Health contract responsibilities to the Aliveness Project, effective immediately, while working with partners to coordinate the details of the transition.

And Minneapolis has a plan to pay Aliveness to run a housing voucher program.

The city council voted Tuesday in favor of transferring nearly $2 million in federal grant funding from Rainbow Health to the Aliveness Project.

The Aliveness Project executive director Matt Toburen told MPR News host Cathy Wurzer that ahead of the first of the month, there were 60 people who needed help paying rent and another 30 who had eviction notices.

“We’ve been just working overtime with these various government funders to find the mechanisms by which we could do that, and thankfully, we were able to get those checks out,” said Toburen.

Council member Andrea Jenkins said the transfer of federal funding to the Aliveness Project will help former Rainbow Health clients stay on their feet.

“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of Rainbow Health in our community, but I’m really proud of my friends at the Aliveness Project, just proud of them for stepping up,” Jenkins said.

The funding covers housing assistance for dozens of clients. The Aliveness Project staff said the transfer will help preserve clients' access to that money.

The Minnesota Department of Health reports that Hennepin and Ramsey counties, along with the Duluth area are currently experiencing an HIV outbreak.

“Minnesota is falling farther and farther behind, and the loss of these important community organizations is just compounding that,” said Toburen.