Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3272 To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to place in permanent supportive housing, and provide supportive services, to individuals who have physical or mental health conditions or substance use disorders and are chronically homeless or at risk of becoming chron- ically homeless, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 13, 2019 Mr. HASTINGS (for himself, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. COHEN, Ms. NORTON, and Mr. GOMEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com- merce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to place in permanent supportive housing, and provide supportive services, to individuals who have phys- ical or mental health conditions or substance use dis- orders and are chronically homeless or at risk of becom- ing chronically homeless, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Services for Ending 4 Long-Term Homelessness Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 3272 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress makes the following findings: 2 (1) Point-in-time data collected by the Depart- 3 ment of Housing and Urban Development in 2018 4 found that, nationally, on any given night, there are 5 approximately 96,913 people who are experiencing 6 chronic homelessness. Chronically homeless people 7 often live in shelters or on the streets for years at 8 a time, experience repeated episodes of homelessness 9 without achieving housing stability, or cycle between 10 homelessness, jails, mental health facilities, and hos- 11 pitals. 12 (2) In 2003, the New Freedom Commission on 13 Mental Health recommended the development and 14 implementation of a comprehensive plan designed to 15 facilitate access to 150,000 units of permanent sup- 16 portive housing for consumers and families who are 17 chronically homeless. The Commission found that af- 18 fordable housing alone is insufficient for many peo- 19 ple with severe mental illness, and that flexible, mo- 20 bile, individualized support services are also nec- 21 essary to support and sustain consumers in their 22 housing. 23 (3) The United States Interagency Council on 24 Homelessness (USICH), originally authorized by 25 title II of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 3272 IH Act (42 U.S.C. 11311 et seq.) and reauthorized by 1 the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid 2 Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009 (di- 3 vision B of Public Law 111–22), is responsible for 4 coordinating the Federal response to homelessness in 5 cooperation with the Secretaries and senior leaders 6 of the 19 Federal member agencies. Since the 7 USICH’s implementation of ‘‘Opening Doors: Fed- 8 eral Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homeless- 9 ness’’, chronic homelessness in the United States 10 has been reduced by 18 percent. 11 (4) Research indicates that permanent sup- 12 portive housing is a cost-effective solution to chronic 13 homelessness that leads to improved residential sta- 14 bility and reduction in psychiatric symptoms. Stud- 15 ies have also shown that supportive housing is asso- 16 ciated with significant reductions in costs for emer- 17 gency room visits, hospitalizations, shelters, sobering 18 centers, jails, and other public services used by peo- 19 ple experiencing homelessness. 20 (5) By implementing permanent supportive 21 housing, communities are making progress toward 22 ending chronic homelessness. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 3272 IH SEC. 3. DUTIES OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR MENTAL 1 HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE. 2 Section 501(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 3 U.S.C. 290aa(d)) is amended— 4 (1) in paragraph (24), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 5 end; 6 (2) in paragraph (25), by striking the period 7 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 8 (3) by adding at the end the following: 9 ‘‘(26) collaborate with Federal departments and 10 programs that are part of the United States Inter- 11 agency Council on Homelessness, particularly the 12 Department of Housing and Urban Development, 13 the Department of Labor, and the Department of 14 Veterans Affairs, and with other agencies within the 15 Department of Health and Human Services, particu- 16 larly the Health Resources and Services Administra- 17 tion, the Administration for Children and Families, 18 and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 19 to design national strategies for providing services in 20 supportive housing that will assist in ending chronic 21 homelessness and to implement programs that ad- 22 dress chronic homelessness.’’. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 3272 IH SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR SERVICES FOR CHRONICALLY HOME- 1 LESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN SUP- 2 PORTIVE HOUSING. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title V of the Public Health Serv- 4 ice Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.), as amended by sub- 5 section (b), is further amended by adding at the end the 6 following: 7 ‘‘PART L—GRANTS FOR SERVICES TO END 8 CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS 9 ‘‘SEC. 598. GRANTS FOR SERVICES TO END CHRONIC HOME- 10 LESSNESS. 11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 12 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall make 13 grants to entities described in paragraph (2) for 14 projects— 15 ‘‘(A) to place in permanent supportive 16 housing— 17 ‘‘(i) individuals who have physical or 18 mental health conditions or substance use 19 disorders and are chronically homeless or 20 at risk of becoming chronically homeless; 21 and 22 ‘‘(ii) their families; and 23 ‘‘(B) to provide the supportive services de- 24 scribed in subsection (d) to such individuals and 25 their families. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 3272 IH ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of 1 paragraph (1), an entity described in this paragraph 2 is— 3 ‘‘(A) a State or political subdivision of a 4 State, an Indian tribe or tribal organization, or 5 a public or nonprofit private entity, including a 6 community-based provider of homelessness serv- 7 ices, health care, housing, or other services im- 8 portant to individuals and families who are 9 chronically homeless; or 10 ‘‘(B) a consortium composed of entities de- 11 scribed in subparagraph (A), which consortium 12 includes a public or nonprofit private entity 13 that serves as the lead applicant and has re- 14 sponsibility for fiscal management, project man- 15 agement, and coordinating the activities of the 16 consortium. 17 ‘‘(b) PRIORITIES.— 18 ‘‘(1) IN SELECTING GRANTEES.—In making 19 grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give 20 priority to applicants demonstrating that the appli- 21 cants— 22 ‘‘(A) prioritize the services described in 23 subsection (d) and related funds to individuals 24 or families who— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 3272 IH ‘‘(i) have been homeless for longer pe- 1 riods of time or have experienced more epi- 2 sodes of homelessness than are required to 3 be individuals or families who are chron- 4 ically homeless; 5 ‘‘(ii) have high rates of utilization of 6 emergency public systems of care; or 7 ‘‘(iii) have a history of interactions 8 with law enforcement and the criminal jus- 9 tice system; 10 ‘‘(B) have greater funding commitments 11 from State or local government agencies respon- 12 sible for overseeing mental health treatment, 13 substance use disorder treatment, medical care, 14 and employment (including commitments to 15 provide Federal funds in accordance with sub- 16 section (e)(2)(B)(ii)); 17 ‘‘(C) will provide for an increase in the 18 number of units of permanent supportive hous- 19 ing that would serve chronically homeless indi- 20 viduals and families in the community as a re- 21 sult of an award of a grant under subsection 22 (a); and 23 ‘‘(D) have demonstrated experience pro- 24 viding services to address the mental health and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 3272 IH substance use disorder problems of chronically 1 homeless individuals and families living in per- 2 manent supportive housing settings. 3 ‘‘(2) IN PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.—A 4 condition for the receipt of a grant under subsection 5 (a) is that the applicant agrees that, in using the 6 grant to place individuals and their families in per- 7 manent supportive housing, and to provide sup- 8 portive services described in subsection (d), the ap- 9 plicant will give priority to individuals and families 10 described in subsection (a)(1) who, at the time of 11 their placement in permanent supportive housing, 12 are chronically homeless. 13 ‘‘(c) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary 14 shall ensure that consideration is given to geographic dis- 15 tribution (such as urban and rural areas) in the awarding 16 of grants under subsection (a). 17 ‘‘(d) SERVICES.—The services referred to in sub- 18 section (a) are the following: 19 ‘‘(1) Services provided by the grantee or by 20 qualified subcontractors that promote recovery and 21 self-sufficiency and address barriers to housing sta- 22 bility, including the following: 23 ‘‘(A) Mental health services, including 24 treatment and recovery support services. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 3272 IH ‘‘(B) Substance use disorder treatment and 1 recovery support services, including counseling, 2 treatment planning, recovery coaching, peer 3 support, and relapse prevention. 4 ‘‘(C) Integrated, coordinated treatment 5 and recovery support services for co-occurring 6 disorders. 7 ‘‘(D) Health education, including referrals 8 for medical and dental care. 9 ‘‘(E) Services designed to help individuals 10 and families make progress toward self-suffi- 11 ciency and recovery, including benefits advo- 12 cacy, money management, life-skills training, 13 self-help programs, and engagement and moti- 14 vational interventions. 15 ‘‘(F) Services designed to help individuals 16 obtain employment. 17 ‘‘(G) Parental skills and family support. 18 ‘‘(H) Case management. 19 ‘‘(I) Other supportive services that pro- 20 mote an end to chronic homelessness. 21 ‘‘(J) Coordination or partnership with 22 other agencies, programs, or mainstream bene- 23 fits to maximize the availability of services and 24 resources to meet the needs of chronically 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 3272 IH homeless individuals and families living in sup- 1 portive housing using cost-effective approaches 2 that avoid duplication. 3 ‘‘(K) Data collection and measuring per- 4 formance outcomes as specified in subsection 5 (k). 6 ‘‘(2) Services, as described in paragraph (1), 7 that are delivered to individuals and families who 8 are chronically homeless and who are scheduled to 9 become residents of permanent supportive housing 10 within 90 days pending the location or development 11 of an appropriate unit of housing. 12 ‘‘(3) For individuals and families who are oth- 13 erwise eligible, and who have voluntarily chosen to 14 seek other housing opportunities after a period of 15 tenancy in supportive housing, services, as described 16 in paragraph (1), that are delivered, for a period of 17 90 days after exiting permanent supportive housing 18 or until the individuals have transitioned to com- 19 prehensive services adequate to meet their current 20 needs, provided that the purpose of the services is to 21 support the individuals in their choice to transition 22 into housing that is responsive to their individual 23 needs and preferences. 24 ‘‘(e) MATCHING FUNDS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 3272 IH ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A condition for the receipt 1 of a grant under subsection (a) is that, with respect 2 to the cost of the project to be carried out by an ap- 3 plicant pursuant to such subsection, the applicant 4 agrees as follows: 5 ‘‘(A) In the case of the initial grant pursu- 6 ant to subsection (j)(1)(A), the applicant will, 7 in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3), 8 make available contributions toward such costs 9 in an amount that is not less than $1 for each 10 $4 of Federal funds provided in the grant. 11 ‘‘(B) In the case of a renewal grant pursu- 12 ant to subsection (j)(1)(B), the applicant will, 13 in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3), 14 make available contributions toward such costs 15 in an amount that is not less than $1 for each 16 $2 of Federal funds provided in the grant. 17 ‘‘(2) SOURCE OF CONTRIBUTION.—For pur- 18 poses of paragraph (1), contributions made by an 19 applicant are in accordance with this paragraph if 20 made as follows: 21 ‘‘(A) The contribution is made from funds 22 of the applicant or from donations from public 23 or private entities. 24 ‘‘(B) Of the contribution— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:43 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3272.IH H3272 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •HR 3272 IH ‘‘(i) not less than 80 percent is from 1 non-Federal funds; and 2 ‘‘(ii) not more than 20 percent is from 3 Federal funds provided under programs 4 that— 5 ‘‘(I) are not expressly directed at 6 services for homeless individuals, but 7 whose purposes are broad enough to 8 include the provision of a service or 9 services described in subsection (d) as 10 authorized expenditures under such 11 program; and 12 ‘‘(II) do not prohibit Federal 13 funds under the program from being 14 used to provide a contribution that is 15 required as a condition for obtaining 16 Federal funds. 17 ‘‘(3) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT CONTRIB- 18 UTED.—Contributions required in paragraph (1) 19 may be in cash or in-kind equipment [Text truncated for display. 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