I 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transitional Housing 

5 for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Pro6 gram Act’’ or the ‘‘THRIVE Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM TO STUDY THE IMPACT 

2 OF USING RENTAL VOUCHERS FOR SUP3 PORTIVE AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR 

4 INDIVIDUALS RECOVERING FROM OPIOID 

5 USE DISORDERS OR OTHER SUBSTANCE USE 

6 DISORDERS. 

7 Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 

8 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) is amended by adding at the 

9 end the following new paragraph: 

10 ‘‘(21) RENTAL VOUCHER DEMONSTRATION PRO11 GRAM FOR SUPPORTIVE AND TRANSITIONAL HOUS12 ING FOR INDIVIDUALS RECOVERING FROM OPIOID

13 USE DISORDERS OR OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DIS14 ORDERS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary 

16 shall establish a demonstration program under 

17 which the Secretary shall set aside, allocate, 

18 and distribute directly to eligible entities, from 

19 amounts made available for rental assistance 

20 under this subsection, the amounts specified in 

21 subparagraph (B) for an eligible entity to pro22 vide a voucher for such assistance to a covered 

23 individual through a supportive and transitional 

24 housing program that provides treatment for 

25 opioid use disorders or other substance use dis26 orders (as applicable), job skills training, and 


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1 such assistance for a period of 12 to 24 

2 months. 

3 ‘‘(B) AMOUNT.—The amount specified in 

4 this subparagraph is, for each of fiscal years 

5 2019 through 2023, the amount necessary to 

6 provide the lesser of— 

7 ‘‘(i) 0.5 percent of the total number of 

8 vouchers allocated under this subsection 

9 during the fiscal year ending immediately 

10 before the date of the enactment of this 

11 paragraph; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) 10,000 vouchers. 

13 ‘‘(C) CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

14 An eligible entity shall provide an evidence15 based treatment program and a job skills train16 ing program for individuals recovering from an 

17 opioid use disorder or other substance use dis18 order, as applicable, that meet standards estab19 lished by the Secretary. 

20 ‘‘(D) APPLICATION.—To receive a rental 

21 assistance voucher under this paragraph, an eli22 gible entity shall submit an application to the 

23 Secretary that shall include— 

24 ‘‘(i) a description of the terms of 

25 treatment program, job skills training, and 


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1 rental assistance to be provided to a cov2 ered individual, and assurances that such 

3 description shall be communicated to cov4 ered individuals that receive vouchers pur5 suant to the demonstration program estab6 lished under this paragraph; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) a transitional plan that begins on 

8 the date on which a covered individual 

9 completes the treatment program of the el10 igible entity that includes information on 

11 additional treatment, job skills training, 

12 and housing resources and services avail13 able to such covered individual. 

14 ‘‘(E) SELECTION.—In selecting eligible en15 tities to receive rental assistance vouchers 

16 under this paragraph, the Secretary shall— 

17 ‘‘(i) ensure that such eligible enti18 ties— 

19 ‘‘(I) are diverse; 

20 ‘‘(II) represent an appropriate 

21 balance of eligible entities located in 

22 urban and rural areas; and 

23 ‘‘(III) provide supportive and 

24 transitional housing programs in di25 verse geographic regions with high 


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1 rates of mortality due to opioid use 

2 disorders or other substance use dis3 orders, as applicable, based on data of 

4 the Centers for Disease Control and 

5 Prevention; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) consider— 

7 ‘‘(I) the success of each recipient 

8 eligible entity at helping individuals 

9 complete the treatment program of 

10 the eligible entity and refrain from 

11 opioid or other substance usage, as 

12 applicable; 

13 ‘‘(II) the type of job skills train14 ing program provided by the eligible 

15 entity; 

16 ‘‘(III) the percentage of partici17 pants in the job skills training pro18 gram that gain and maintain employ19 ment; 

20 ‘‘(IV) the percentage of partici21 pants in the treatment program of the 

22 eligible entity that— 

23 ‘‘(aa) do not relapse into 

24 opioid or other substance usage, 

25 as applicable; and 


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1 ‘‘(bb) do not receive Federal 

2 assistance for treatment of an 

3 opioid use disorder or other sub4 stance use disorder, as applica5 ble, after completion of the pro6 gram. 

7 ‘‘(F) TRANSFER OF VOUCHER.—Upon ter8 mination of the provision of rental assistance 

9 through a voucher to a covered individual, the 

10 eligible entity that initially offered such voucher 

11 may use such voucher to provide rental assist12 ance to another covered individual. 

13 ‘‘(G) DURATION.—The Secretary shall not 

14 make rental assistance available under this 

15 paragraph after the expiration of the 5-year pe16 riod beginning on the date of the enactment of 

17 this paragraph. 

18 ‘‘(H) REPORTS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) BY THE ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—An 

20 eligible entity that receives a rental assist21 ance voucher under this paragraph shall 

22 submit to the Secretary— 

23 ‘‘(I) annually, the transitional 

24 plan described in subparagraph 

25 (D)(ii) and information on each covVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 May 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5735.IH H5735

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1 ered individual’s housing upon termi2 nation of the provision of rental as3 sistance through a voucher to such 

4 covered individual in a manner that 

5 protects the privacy of such covered 

6 individual; and 

7 ‘‘(II) not later than 4 years after 

8 the date of the enactment of this 

9 paragraph, a plan describing the 

10 treatment and housing options for any 

11 covered individual assisted by such 

12 voucher who will not have completed 

13 the program before the day that is 5 

14 years after such date of enactment. 

15 ‘‘(ii) BY THE SECRETARY.—The Sec16 retary shall submit to Congress a report 

17 that analyzes the impact of rental assist18 ance provided under this paragraph— 

19 ‘‘(I) not later than 2 years after 

20 the date of the enactment of this 

21 paragraph; and 

22 ‘‘(II) not later than 4 years after 

23 the date of the enactment of this 

24 paragraph, that includes recommenda25 tions for the continuation or expanVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:08 May 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5735.IH H5735

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1 sion of the program established under 

2 this paragraph and improving the 

3 process for providing such assistance. 

4 ‘‘(I) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(i) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘el6 igible entity’ means a nonprofit organiza7 tion that meets the criteria described 

8 under subparagraph (C). 

9 ‘‘(ii) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—The 

10 term ‘covered individual’ means an indi11 vidual recovering from an opioid use dis12 order or other substance use disorder.’’. 

13 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF RENTAL VOUCHER DEMONSTRATION 

14 PROGRAM. 

15 Effective the day that is 5 years after the date of 

16 the enactment of this Act, paragraph (21) of section 8(o) 

17 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

18 1437f(o)), as added by this Act, is repealed. 

19 SEC. 4. RETURN OF VOUCHERS. 

20 An eligible entity that provided vouchers for rental 

21 assistance under paragraph (21) of section 8(o) of the 

22 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), 

23 as added by this Act, shall return any such vouchers to 

24 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on the 


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1 day that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this 

2 Act. 

Æ 


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