What This Bill Does
This bill creates a grant program within the Health Resources and Services Administration (a federal health agency) to give money to communities for housing programs that help homeless people and families. The grants will pay for housing plus services like mental health treatment, job training and other support to address homelessness.
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Who It Affects
- Homeless individuals and families
- Children and youth experiencing homelessness
- People at risk of becoming homeless
- County, city, regional and local governments
- Indian tribes and tribal organizations
- Community organizations, health providers and housing providers that partner with grant recipients
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Key Provisions
- The Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator must establish a grant program and create an interagency working group including representatives from multiple federal departments to advise on the program (Sec. 2(a), 2(b))
- Eligible entities receive either 5-year implementation grants (up to $25,000,000 per grant) to run housing and service programs or 1-year planning grants (up to $100,000 per grant) to develop homelessness plans (Sec. 2(c))
- Grant recipients must provide stable housing, intensive case management (with a maximum ratio of 1 caseworker to 20 cases), and comprehensive services including mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, job training, education and life skills training (Sec. 2(d)(1), 2(d)(2))
- Recipients must coordinate services with the people they serve, work with law enforcement and courts to identify at-risk populations, follow trauma-informed practices, and provide transportation assistance (Sec. 2(d)(1)(C))
- Recipients must submit annual reports measuring whether people served maintained housing, improved their health, accessed primary care, and for children, whether they enrolled in school and received mental health services (Sec. 2(e)(1))
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the federal government will fund community-based grant programs to provide housing combined with comprehensive support services for homeless people and families. Communities will be required to coordinate across multiple agencies and ensure intensive case management with specific staffing ratios. Grant recipients will need to track and report outcomes about housing stability, health improvements and educational enrollment of people served.
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Important Definitions
- "Homeless children and youths" means those defined by section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which the bill references but does not restate (Sec. 2(c)(1)(A))
- "Indian tribe" and "tribal organization" have the meanings given in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act and include tribally designated housing entities and entities serving Native Hawaiians (Sec. 2(f))
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 24
To fight homelessness in the United States by authorizing a grant program
within the Health Resources and Services Administration for housing
programs that offer comprehensive services and intensive case manage-
ment for homeless individuals and families.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JANUARY 23 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 2023
Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. PADILLA, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, and Mrs. SHA-
HEEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To fight homelessness in the United States by authorizing
a grant program within the Health Resources and Serv-
ices Administration for housing programs that offer com-
prehensive services and intensive case management for
homeless individuals and families.
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 ‘‘Fighting Homelessness
4
Through Services and Housing Act’’.
5
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.
1
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Health
2
Resources and Services Administration (referred to in this
3
section as the ‘‘Administrator’’), in consultation with the
4
working group established under subsection (b), shall es-
5
tablish a grant program to award competitive grants to
6
eligible entities for the planning and implementation of
7
programs to address homelessness.
8
(b) WORKING GROUP.—The Administrator shall es-
9
tablish an interagency working group to provide advice to
10
the Administrator in carrying out the program under sub-
11
section (a). The working group shall include representa-
12
tives from the United States Interagency Council on
13
Homelessness, Department of Education, Department of
14
Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and
15
Urban Development, Department of Labor, Department
16
of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs, De-
17
partment of Agriculture, Department of the Treasury, De-
18
partment of Justice, and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
19
(c) TYPES OF GRANTS.—
20
(1) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.—
21
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Under the program
22
under subsection (a), the Administrator shall
23
award 5-year implementation grants to eligible
24
entities to assist such entities in carrying out
25
activities, and paying capital building costs, as-
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sociated with the provision of housing and serv-
1
ices to homeless individuals and families, in-
2
cluding homeless children and youths (as de-
3
fined by section 725 of the McKinney-Vento
4
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a)),
5
or those at risk of becoming homeless.
6
(B) AMOUNT.—The amount awarded to an
7
entity under a grant under this paragraph shall
8
not exceed $25,000,000.
9
(C) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—With re-
10
spect to the costs of the activities to be carried
11
out by an entity under a grant under this para-
12
graph, the entity shall make available (directly
13
or through donations from public or private en-
14
tities) non-Federal contributions toward such
15
costs in an amount that equals 25 percent of
16
the amount of the grant.
17
(2) PLANNING GRANTS.—
18
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Under the program
19
under subsection (a), the Administrator shall
20
award 1-year planning grants to eligible entities
21
to assist such entities in developing comprehen-
22
sive plans to address homelessness in the com-
23
munities and regions served by such entities or
24
to enhance the effectiveness of existing pro-
25
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grams that serve homeless individuals and fami-
1
lies, including homeless children and youths (as
2
defined by section 725 of the McKinney-Vento
3
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a)),
4
or those at risk of becoming homeless.
5
(B) AMOUNT.—The amount awarded to an
6
entity under a grant under this paragraph shall
7
not exceed $100,000, and such amount shall
8
not be subject to any matching requirement.
9
(d) ELIGIBILITY.—
10
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a
11
grant under the program under subsection (a), an
12
entity shall—
13
(A) be a governmental entity (at the coun-
14
ty, city, regional, or locality level), Indian tribe,
15
or tribal organization;
16
(B) demonstrate that the capacity of the
17
entity for providing services under the grant in-
18
cludes the ability to address mental health, sub-
19
stance use disorder and recovery services, dis-
20
abling or other chronic health conditions, edu-
21
cational and job training or employment out-
22
comes, and life skills needs (including financial
23
literacy); and
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(C) submit to the Administrator an appli-
1
cation that includes an assurance that, in car-
2
rying out activities under the grant, the entity
3
will—
4
(i) ensure stable housing, intensive
5
case management, and comprehensive serv-
6
ices that include, at minimum, mental
7
health, substance use disorder treatment
8
and recovery services, education and job
9
training, age-appropriate services for chil-
10
dren, and life skills training (such as fi-
11
nancial literacy training);
12
(ii) coordinate with the population to
13
be served by the entity to ensure that sup-
14
portive services are tailored to meet the
15
specific and actual needs of the individuals
16
and families served;
17
(iii) coordinate with local law enforce-
18
ment, courts (including specialized courts),
19
probation, and other public services agen-
20
cies to conduct outreach and better iden-
21
tify at-risk or homeless populations that
22
would benefit from services offered by the
23
entity;
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(iv) follow trauma-informed best prac-
1
tices to address the needs of the popu-
2
lations to be served;
3
(v) provide services under the grant
4
on-site or in-home as appropriate;
5
(vi) provide assistance in addressing
6
the transportation needs of individuals for
7
services provided under the grant off-site;
8
and
9
(vii) comply with additional require-
10
ments, if the entity intends to serve fami-
11
lies with children under the grant, to en-
12
sure—
13
(I) that services include chil-
14
dren’s behavioral and mental health
15
services, early childhood education,
16
regular and age-appropriate children’s
17
programming and activities, child
18
health, development, and nutrition
19
screening (including coordination of
20
medical and well-child services), and
21
parenting classes and support pro-
22
grams;
23
(II) in conditions where family
24
housing is provided in a central facil-
25
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ity and not in mixed units in a com-
1
mercial building, that a safe space for
2
play and age-appropriate activities is
3
available on-site and has regular
4
hours of operation; and
5
(III) that the entity has in place
6
protocol for staff training and best
7
practices to identify and prevent child
8
trafficking, abuse, and neglect.
9
(2) CASE MANAGEMENT.—An entity receiving a
10
grant under this section shall ensure that case man-
11
agement provided by the entity under the grant does
12
not exceed a ratio of 1 caseworker to 20 cases.
13
(3) PARTNERSHIPS.—An entity may enter into
14
a partnership with more than one provider that may
15
include a local health agency, non-profit service pro-
16
viders, medical and mental health providers, housing
17
providers, and other service providers as necessary.
18
(e) OVERSIGHT REQUIREMENTS.—
19
(1) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year
20
after the date on which a grant is received by an en-
21
tity under subsection (a), and annually thereafter
22
for the term of the grant, such entity shall submit
23
to the Administrator a report on the activities car-
24
ried out under the grant. Such report shall include,
25
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with respect to activities carried out under the grant
1
in the community served, measures of outcomes re-
2
lating to—
3
(A) whether individuals and families who
4
are served continued to have housing and did
5
not experience intermittent periods of homeless-
6
ness;
7
(B) whether individuals and families who
8
are served see improvements in their physical
9
and mental health, have access to a specific pri-
10
mary care provider, promptly receive any need-
11
ed health care, and have a health care plan that
12
meets their individual needs (including access to
13
mental health and substance use treatment as
14
applicable, and family-based treatment models);
15
(C) whether children who are served are
16
enrolled in school, attend regularly, and are re-
17
ceiving services to meet their educational needs;
18
(D) whether children who are served have
19
access to trauma-informed mental health care
20
and screening for any mental and behavioral
21
health needs, as well as other services to meet
22
their needs, as appropriate;
23
(E) how grant funds are used; and
24
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(F) other matters determined appropriate
1
by the Administrator.
2
(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this
3
subsection shall be construed to condition the receipt
4
of future housing and other services by individuals
5
under the grant on the outcomes detailed in the re-
6
ports submitted under paragraph (1).
7
(f) DEFINITION.—In this section, the terms ‘‘Indian
8
tribe’’ and ‘‘tribal organization’’ have the meanings given
9
such terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination
10
and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304) and shall
11
include tribally designated housing entities (as defined in
12
section 4(22) of the Native American Housing Assistance
13
and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C.
14
4103(22))) and entities that serve Native Hawaiians (as
15
defined in section 338K(c) of the Public Health Service
16
Act (42 U.S.C. 254s(c))).
17
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
18
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section,
19
$1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through
20
2028, of which—
21
(1) not less than 5 percent of such funds shall
22
be awarded to Indian tribes and tribal organizations;
23
(2) $5,000,000 shall be made available for plan-
24
ning grants under subsection (c)(2); and
25
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(3) the remainder shall be made available for
1
implementation grants under subsection (c)(1).
2
Æ
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