I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6572 
To encourage States and units of general local government to use amounts 
received under the community development block grant program and 
the community mental health services and substance abuse block grant 
programs to provide housing counseling and financial counseling for 
individuals before their release from inpatient or residential institutions 
for individuals with mental illness and periodic evaluation of the appro-
priateness of such counseling after such release. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2008 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, 
Ms. KAPTUR, and Ms. LEE) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To encourage States and units of general local government 
to use amounts received under the community develop-
ment block grant program and the community mental 
health services and substance abuse block grant pro-
grams to provide housing counseling and financial coun-
seling for individuals before their release from inpatient 
or residential institutions for individuals with mental ill-
ness and periodic evaluation of the appropriateness of 
such counseling after such release. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:03 Jul 23, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H6572.IH
H6572
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Assistance 
Act for Persons with Mental Illness’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Many homeless individuals in the United 
States are individuals who have been discharged 
from inpatient or residential institutions for individ-
uals with mental illness. 
(2) With proper predischarge housing coun-
seling and related services, many such individuals 
can be accommodated in existing housing facilities. 
(3) Residential institutions for individuals with 
mental illness are funded and operated by States 
and units of general local government without direct 
Federal involvement. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 1919 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 300x–8) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraphs: 
‘‘(4) HOUSING COUNSELING.—The term ‘hous-
ing counseling’ means counseling furnished to an in-
dividual before the individual’s release from an inpa-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:03 Jul 23, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6572.IH
H6572
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
tient or residential institution for individuals with 
mental illness that includes discussions with an ac-
credited or experienced advisor from a community- 
based non-profit organization on, and distribution to 
such individual by such an advisor of, information 
about how the application and grant processes work 
for Federal, State, and local housing assistance, 
about selection preferences for such housing assist-
ance, about how rent is determined for applicable 
public housing, and about the duration for which the 
individual would be eligible to stay in such public 
housing. Such counseling shall include information 
on any of the following topics, as appropriate: 
‘‘(A) Housing choice vouchers under sec-
tion 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)). 
‘‘(B) Direct housing subsidies. 
‘‘(C) Non-profit housing. 
‘‘(D) Public housing (as such term is de-
fined in section 3(b) of the United States Hous-
ing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 
‘‘(E) Rent supplements and assistance pro-
grams. 
‘‘(F) Co-operative housing. 
‘‘(G) Permanent supportive housing. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:03 Jul 23, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6572.IH
H6572
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
‘‘(H) Private-sector housing affordable to 
the individual. 
‘‘(I) Tax credit programs. 
‘‘(J) Local laws regarding renters’ rights. 
‘‘(K) Home mortgages. 
‘‘(L) Mortgage refinancing. 
‘‘(M) Home equity loans. 
‘‘(N) Home repair loans. 
‘‘(O) Property taxes. 
‘‘(P) Other housing options for low-income 
individuals or other applicable groups of indi-
viduals. 
‘‘(5) FINANCIAL COUNSELING.—The term ‘fi-
nancial counseling’ means counseling furnished to an 
individual before the individual’s release from a resi-
dential institution for individuals with mental illness 
that includes discussions with an accredited or expe-
rienced advisor from a community-based non-profit 
organization on, and distribution to such individual 
by such an advisor of, information about issues re-
lating to financial literacy and education to promote 
an understanding of consumer, economic, and per-
sonal finance issues and concepts, including the fol-
lowing, as appropriate: 
‘‘(A) Saving for retirement. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:03 Jul 23, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6572.IH
H6572
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
‘‘(B) Managing credit. 
‘‘(C) Long-term care. 
‘‘(D) Estate planning. 
‘‘(E) Predatory lending. 
‘‘(F) Identity theft. 
‘‘(G) Financial abuse schemes. 
‘‘(H) Work incentives. 
‘‘(I) Money management skills building.’’. 
SEC. 4. USE OF CERTAIN BLOCK GRANT FUNDS FOR HOUS-
ING COUNSELING, FINANCIAL COUNSELING, 
AND PERIODIC EVALUATION. 
(a) USE
OF FUNDS UNDER EXISTING PROGRAM 
PERMITTED.—Funds made available to States and units 
of general local government under the community develop-
ment block grant program under title I of the Housing 
and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 
5301 et seq.), and under the block grant programs for 
community mental health services and for the prevention 
and treatment of substance abuse under part B of title 
XIX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x 
et seq.), may be used for purposes of providing housing 
counseling and financial counseling (as such terms are de-
fined in paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively, of section 
1919 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x– 
8), as added by section 3) for individuals before their re-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:03 Jul 23, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6572.IH
H6572
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
lease from inpatient or residential institutions for individ-
uals with mental illness and for purposes of biannual eval-
uations of the appropriateness of such counseling provided 
for such individuals following such release. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS ABOUT USING FUNDS FOR 
THIS PURPOSE.—It is the sense of Congress that States 
and units of general local government should use a reason-
able portion of the funds described in subsection (a) to 
provide for housing counseling, financial counseling, and 
biannual evaluations described in such subsection. 
SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY 
DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1974 AND PUBLIC 
HEALTH SERVICE ACT. 
(a) STATEMENT OF PROJECTED USE OF FUNDS AND 
REPORTS BY RECIPIENTS OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 
BLOCK GRANT FUNDS.— 
(1) STATEMENT OF PROJECTED USE OF FUNDS 
TO
INCLUDE
FUNDS
USED
FOR
HOUSING
COUN-
SELING
AND
FINANCIAL
COUNSELING.—Section 
104(a)(1) of the Housing and Community Develop-
ment Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304(a)(1)) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following new sentence: 
‘‘Each statement of projected use of funds required 
under this paragraph shall include a specific state-
ment of the portion of funds received under section 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:03 Jul 23, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6572.IH
H6572
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
106 that are expected to be used pursuant to section 
4(a) of the Community Assistance Act for Persons 
with Mental Illness to provide housing counseling 
and financial counseling (as such terms are defined 
in section 1919 of the Public Health Service Act) for 
individuals before their release from inpatient or res-
idential institutions for individuals with mental ill-
ness and for biannual evaluations of the appropriate-
ness of such counseling provided for such individuals 
following such release.’’. 
(2) REPORTS ON HOUSING COUNSELING AND 
FINANCIAL COUNSELING PROVIDED.—Section 104(e) 
of the Housing and Community Development Act of 
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304(e)) is amended by inserting 
after the third sentence the following new sentences: 
‘‘The report shall include a specific statement of the 
portion of funds received by the grantee under sec-
tion 106 that were used pursuant to section 4(a) of 
the Community Assistance Act for Persons with 
Mental Illness to provide housing counseling and fi-
nancial counseling (as such terms are defined in sec-
tion 1919 of the Public Health Service Act) for indi-
viduals before their release from inpatient or resi-
dential institutions for individuals with mental ill-
ness, a description of the housing counseling and fi-
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
21:03 Jul 23, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6572.IH
H6572
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS