[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5735 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5735

     To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to establish a 
   demonstration program to set aside section 8 housing vouchers for 
  supportive and transitional housing for individuals recovering from 
 opioid use disorders or other substance use disorders, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 9, 2018

   Mr. Barr introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to establish a 
   demonstration program to set aside section 8 housing vouchers for 
  supportive and transitional housing for individuals recovering from 
 opioid use disorders or other substance use disorders, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Transitional Housing for Recovery in 
Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act'' or the ``THRIVE Act''.

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF USING RENTAL 
              VOUCHERS FOR SUPPORTIVE AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR 
              INDIVIDUALS RECOVERING FROM OPIOID USE DISORDERS OR OTHER 
              SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.

    Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(o)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(21) Rental voucher demonstration program for supportive 
        and transitional housing for individuals recovering from opioid 
        use disorders or other substance use disorders.--
                    ``(A) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish 
                a demonstration program under which the Secretary shall 
                set aside, allocate, and distribute directly to 
                eligible entities, from amounts made available for 
                rental assistance under this subsection, the amounts 
                specified in subparagraph (B) for an eligible entity to 
                provide a voucher for such assistance to a covered 
                individual through a supportive and transitional 
                housing program that provides treatment for opioid use 
                disorders or other substance use disorders (as 
                applicable), job skills training, and such assistance 
                for a period of 12 to 24 months.
                    ``(B) Amount.--The amount specified in this 
                subparagraph is, for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
                2023, the amount necessary to provide the lesser of--
                            ``(i) 0.5 percent of the total number of 
                        vouchers allocated under this subsection during 
                        the fiscal year ending immediately before the 
                        date of the enactment of this paragraph; or
                            ``(ii) 10,000 vouchers.
                    ``(C) Criteria for eligible entities.--An eligible 
                entity shall provide an evidence-based treatment 
                program and a job skills training program for 
                individuals recovering from an opioid use disorder or 
                other substance use disorder, as applicable, that meet 
                standards established by the Secretary.
                    ``(D) Application.--To receive a rental assistance 
                voucher under this paragraph, an eligible entity shall 
                submit an application to the Secretary that shall 
                include--
                            ``(i) a description of the terms of 
                        treatment program, job skills training, and 
                        rental assistance to be provided to a covered 
                        individual, and assurances that such 
                        description shall be communicated to covered 
                        individuals that receive vouchers pursuant to 
                        the demonstration program established under 
                        this paragraph; and
                            ``(ii) a transitional plan that begins on 
                        the date on which a covered individual 
                        completes the treatment program of the eligible 
                        entity that includes information on additional 
                        treatment, job skills training, and housing 
                        resources and services available to such 
                        covered individual.
                    ``(E) Selection.--In selecting eligible entities to 
                receive rental assistance vouchers under this 
                paragraph, the Secretary shall--
                            ``(i) ensure that such eligible entities--
                                    ``(I) are diverse;
                                    ``(II) represent an appropriate 
                                balance of eligible entities located in 
                                urban and rural areas; and
                                    ``(III) provide supportive and 
                                transitional housing programs in 
                                diverse geographic regions with high 
                                rates of mortality due to opioid use 
                                disorders or other substance use 
                                disorders, as applicable, based on data 
                                of the Centers for Disease Control and 
                                Prevention; and
                            ``(ii) consider--
                                    ``(I) the success of each recipient 
                                eligible entity at helping individuals 
                                complete the treatment program of the 
                                eligible entity and refrain from opioid 
                                or other substance usage, as 
                                applicable;
                                    ``(II) the type of job skills 
                                training program provided by the 
                                eligible entity;
                                    ``(III) the percentage of 
                                participants in the job skills training 
                                program that gain and maintain 
                                employment;
                                    ``(IV) the percentage of 
                                participants in the treatment program 
                                of the eligible entity that--
                                            ``(aa) do not relapse into 
                                        opioid or other substance 
                                        usage, as applicable; and
                                            ``(bb) do not receive 
                                        Federal assistance for 
                                        treatment of an opioid use 
                                        disorder or other substance use 
                                        disorder, as applicable, after 
                                        completion of the program.
                    ``(F) Transfer of voucher.--Upon termination of the 
                provision of rental assistance through a voucher to a 
                covered individual, the eligible entity that initially 
                offered such voucher may use such voucher to provide 
                rental assistance to another covered individual.
                    ``(G) Duration.--The Secretary shall not make 
                rental assistance available under this paragraph after 
                the expiration of the 5-year period beginning on the 
                date of the enactment of this paragraph.
                    ``(H) Reports.--
                            ``(i) By the eligible entity.--An eligible 
                        entity that receives a rental assistance 
                        voucher under this paragraph shall submit to 
                        the Secretary--
                                    ``(I) annually, the transitional 
                                plan described in subparagraph (D)(ii) 
                                and information on each covered 
                                individual's housing upon termination 
                                of the provision of rental assistance 
                                through a voucher to such covered 
                                individual in a manner that protects 
                                the privacy of such covered individual; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) not later than 4 years after 
                                the date of the enactment of this 
                                paragraph, a plan describing the 
                                treatment and housing options for any 
                                covered individual assisted by such 
                                voucher who will not have completed the 
                                program before the day that is 5 years 
                                after such date of enactment.
                            ``(ii) By the secretary.--The Secretary 
                        shall submit to Congress a report that analyzes 
                        the impact of rental assistance provided under 
                        this paragraph--
                                    ``(I) not later than 2 years after 
                                the date of the enactment of this 
                                paragraph; and
                                    ``(II) not later than 4 years after 
                                the date of the enactment of this 
                                paragraph, that includes 
                                recommendations for the continuation or 
                                expansion of the program established 
                                under this paragraph and improving the 
                                process for providing such assistance.
                    ``(I) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible 
                        entity' means a nonprofit organization that 
                        meets the criteria described under subparagraph 
                        (C).
                            ``(ii) Covered individual.--The term 
                        `covered individual' means an individual 
                        recovering from an opioid use disorder or other 
                        substance use disorder.''.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF RENTAL VOUCHER DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    Effective the day that is 5 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, paragraph (21) of section 8(o) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), as added by this Act, is 
repealed.

SEC. 4. RETURN OF VOUCHERS.

    An eligible entity that provided vouchers for rental assistance 
under paragraph (21) of section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act 
of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), as added by this Act, shall return any 
such vouchers to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on the 
day that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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