IB 
Union Calendar No. 554 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5735 
[Report No. 115–719] 
To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to establish a demonstra-
tion program to set aside section 8 housing vouchers for supportive 
and transitional housing for individuals recovering from opioid use dis-
orders 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 
JUNE 8, 2018 
Additional sponsors: Ms. TENNEY, Mr. ROYCE of California, Mr. BUDD, Mr. 
MOONEY of West Virginia, Mr. HULTGREN, Mr. ROSS, Mr. SENSEN-
BRENNER, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mrs. HANDEL, and Mr. TURNER 
JUNE 8, 2018 
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 
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A BILL 
To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to estab-
lish a demonstration program to set aside section 8 hous-
ing vouchers for supportive and transitional housing for 
individuals recovering from opioid use disorders or other 
substance use disorders, and for other purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Transitional Housing 
for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Pro-
gram Act’’ or the ‘‘THRIVE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM TO STUDY THE IMPACT 
OF USING RENTAL VOUCHERS FOR SUP-
PORTIVE 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 PRO-
GRAM FOR SUPPORTIVE AND TRANSITIONAL HOUS-
ING
FOR
INDIVIDUALS
RECOVERING
FROM
OPIOID 
USE DISORDERS OR OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DIS-
ORDERS.— 
‘‘(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 
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under this subsection, the amounts specified in 
subparagraph (B) for an eligible entity to pro-
vide 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 dis-
orders (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- 
‘‘(C) CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
And eligible entity shall— 
‘‘(i) provide an evidence-based treat-
ment program and a job skills training 
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program for individuals recovering from an 
opioid use disorder or other substance use 
disorder, as applicable, that meet stand-
ards established by the Secretary.; and 
‘‘(ii) demonstrate prior experience ad-
ministering rental assistance vouchers, dem-
onstrate prior experience administering 
transitional housing programs under the 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Act, or dem-
onstrate a partnership with a public hous-
ing agency or a housing program of a 
State, unit of local government, or Indian 
tribe (as such term is defined in section 4 
of the Native American Housing and Self- 
Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 
4103)) that ensures effective administration 
of rental assistance vouchers. 
‘‘(D) APPLICATION.—To receive a rental 
assistance voucher under this paragraph, an eli-
gible 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 cov-
ered individual, and assurances that such 
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description shall be communicated to cov-
ered individuals that receive vouchers pur-
suant to the demonstration program estab-
lished under this paragraph; and 
‘‘(ii) a transitional plan that begins on 
the date on which a covered individual 
completes the treatment program of the el-
igible entity that includes information on 
additional treatment, job skills training, 
and housing resources and services avail-
able to such covered individual. 
‘‘(E) SELECTION.—In selecting eligible en-
tities to receive rental assistance vouchers 
under this paragraph, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) ensure that such eligible enti-
ties— 
‘‘(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 di-
verse geographic regions with high 
rates of mortality due to opioid use 
disorders or other substance use dis-
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opioid use disorder or other sub-
stance use disorder, as applica-
ble, after completion of the pro-
gram. 
‘‘(F) TRANSFER OF VOUCHER.—Upon ter-
mination 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 assist-
ance to another covered individual. 
‘‘(G) DURATION.—The Secretary shall not 
make rental assistance available under this 
paragraph after the expiration of the 5-year pe-
riod beginning on the date of the enactment of 
this paragraph. 
‘‘(H) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(i) BY THE ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—An 
eligible entity that receives a rental assist-
ance voucher under this paragraph shall 
submit to the Secretary— 
‘‘(I) annually, the transitional 
plan 
described 
in 
subparagraph 
(D)(ii) and information on each cov-
ered individual’s housing upon termi-
nation of the provision of rental as-
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sistance 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 Sec-
retary shall submit to Congress a report 
that analyzes the impact of rental assist-
ance 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 recommenda-
tions for the continuation or expan-
sion of the program established under 
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this paragraph and improving the 
process for providing such assistance. 
‘‘(I) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘el-
igible entity’ means a nonprofit organiza-
tion that meets the criteria described 
under subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(ii) 
COVERED
INDIVIDUAL.—The 
term ‘covered individual’ means an indi-
vidual recovering from an opioid use dis-
order 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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Union Calendar No. 554 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5735 
[Report No. 115–719] 
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. 
JUNE 8, 2018 
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee 
of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and or-
dered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:17 Jun 08, 2018
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PO 00000
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