SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR UPGRADING STRUCTURES 
TO SERVE AS INTERIM AND PERMANENT 
HOUSING TO ACCOMMODATE UNHOUSED IN-
DIVIDUALS WITH PETS. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Agriculture, act-
ing in direct consultation with the Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development, may carry out a program under 
this section to make grants to eligible entities for pro-
viding interim and permanent housing that accommodates 
homeless persons, and homeless families, who have pets. 
(b) USE.—Amounts from a grant under this section 
may be used only for— 
(1) costs of acquiring, renovating, rehabili-
tating, re-purposing, retrofitting, or constructing a 
property to be used as interim or permanent housing 
that accommodates homeless persons, and homeless 
families, who have pets; 
(2) pet-related costs of operating such housing 
as provided in this section; and 
(3) costs of training staff and volunteers associ-
ated with such housing in basic pet care, including 
nutrition, behavioral training, and health mainte-
nance. 
(c) REQUIREMENTS.—Interim or permanent housing 
assisted with amounts from a grant under this Act shall 
comply with the following requirements: 
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(1) SERVICES.— 
(A) SUPPORTIVE
SERVICES.—Appropriate 
supportive services, including mental health, 
employment, 
substance 
use 
disorder, 
and 
wellness services, shall be made available to oc-
cupants of the housing. 
(B) VETERINARY SERVICES.—Basic veteri-
nary care and behavioral support for pets, in-
cluding spay and neuter, basic wellness exami-
nations, vaccinations, dental care, heartworm 
treatment and prevention, flea and tick treat-
ment and prevention, and basic medical proce-
dures, shall be made available for pets of occu-
pants of the housing. 
(C) LOCATION.—Services required under 
this paragraph shall be made available on-site 
in such housing, except that services that can-
not be furnished on-site may be made available 
off-site, but only if direct linkage to transpor-
tation services is made available to occupants to 
access such services. 
(2) ANIMAL HOUSING.—The housing shall pro-
vide accommodations for pets of occupants of the 
housing that are appropriate for the layout and type 
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of the interim or permanent housing, which may in-
clude crates and kennels. 
(3) COORDINATION.—The manager of the hous-
ing shall— 
(A) coordinate with public services and law 
enforcement agencies to provide services and 
safety for the housing, as the Secretary shall 
require; 
(B) coordinate with local veterinary service 
and animal care providers to provide care for 
pets that accompany occupants of the housing; 
and 
(C) in making occupancy available in the 
housing, coordinate with the administrative en-
tity for the Continuum of Care under subtitle 
C of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11381 et seq.) for 
the area in which the housing is located. 
(d) APPLICATIONS; PLAN.— 
(1) APPLICATION.—The Secretary shall provide 
for eligible entities to submit applications for grants 
under this section and shall require such applica-
tions to include a plan under paragraph (2). 
(2) PLAN.—A plan under this paragraph 
shall— 
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(A) identify existing housing, shelters, or 
unused structures or land within the area 
served by the eligible entity submitting the ap-
plication that will be used for providing the 
housing to be assisted under subsection (b) with 
amounts from a grant under this section; 
(B) identify the extent of need, in the area 
of such housing, shelters, structures, or land 
identified, for interim or permanent housing for 
homeless persons with pets; 
(C) identify partnering veterinary service 
and animal care providers that will provide care 
for pets that accompany occupants of the hous-
ing and any partnering animal welfare organi-
zation; 
(D) include such assurances as the Sec-
retary considers necessary to ensure that such 
housing will be provided using grant amounts, 
that such housing will accommodate homeless 
persons, and homeless families, who have pets, 
and that such housing will comply with the re-
quirements under subsection (c); and 
(E) provide for targeted outreach to indi-
viduals experiencing homelessness within the 
area served by the eligible entity receiving a 
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grant under this section to inform such individ-
uals regarding the availability of the housing 
assisted with grant amounts. 
(3) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select ap-
plications to be awarded such grants on a competi-
tive basis, based on criteria that the Secretary shall 
establish. 
(e) REPORTS.—Each eligible entity that receives a 
grant under this section for a fiscal year shall submit a 
report to the Secretary, not later than 90 days after the 
end of the fiscal year for which the grant was made, that 
shall include the following information: 
(1) A description of the activities undertaken by 
the eligible entity using such grant amounts. 
(2) Identification of the costs of each of the 
services provided in connection with the housing as-
sisted with such grant amounts. 
(3) An assessment of the effectiveness of the 
program grants under this section and any rec-
ommendations for improving the program. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the 
following definitions shall apply: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
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(i) a unit of general local government; 
(ii) a nonprofit organization; and 
(iii) an entity providing housing or 
shelters for homeless persons. 
(B) LIMITATION.—Such term does not in-
clude an animal wellness or welfare organiza-
tion or an animal shelter, except that this sub-
paragraph may not be construed to prevent any 
such organization or shelter from partnering 
with an eligible entity to provide interim or per-
manent housing assisted with amounts from a 
grant under this Act. 
(2) HOMELESS.—The term ‘‘homeless’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 103 of the 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 11302). 
(3) INTERIM
HOUSING.—The term ‘‘interim 
housing’’ means any housing or shelter that does not 
provide permanent housing. Such term includes 
transitional housing (as such term is defined in such 
section 401) and emergency shelters (as such term 
is defined in section 321 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
13351)). 
(4) PERMANENT HOUSING.—The term ‘‘perma-
nent housing’’ has the meaning given such term in 
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section 401 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360). 
(5) PET.—The term ‘‘pet’’ means any domes-
ticated animal that is normally maintained as a com-
panion or pet animal near the owner or person who 
cares for the animal, such as a domestic dog (includ-
ing a service dog), domestic cat, ferret, gerbil, 
mouse, rat, guinea pig, rabbit, hamster, or bird. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(7) UNIT OF GENERAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT.— 
The term ‘‘unit of general local government’’ has the 
meaning given such term in the first sentence of 
paragraph (1) of section 102(a) of the Housing and 
Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 
5302(a)(1)). 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 
Æ 
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