I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4941 
To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to establish within the 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration a Center 
for Unhoused Individuals, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 26, 2023 
Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Ms. PELOSI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. CROCK-
ETT, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. KEATING, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. 
MCGARVEY, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, and Mrs. 
WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to estab-
lish within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Serv-
ices Administration a Center for Unhoused Individuals, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Providing Access to 
Treatment and Housing Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘PATH Act 
of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. CENTER FOR UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS. 
Part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 290bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘Subpart 4—Center for Unhoused Individuals 
‘‘SEC. 520O. CENTER FOR UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the Ad-
ministration a Center for Unhoused Individuals (in this 
section referred to as the ‘Center’) to lead Federal efforts 
to improve and expand access to mental and behavioral 
health services for unhoused individuals. The Center shall 
be headed by a director (in this section referred to as the 
‘Director’) appointed by the Secretary from among indi-
viduals with extensive experience or academic qualifica-
tions in the provision of mental and behavioral health serv-
ices to unhoused individuals. 
‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Director of the Center shall— 
‘‘(1) develop and promote policies that expand 
access to mental and behavioral health services for 
unhoused individuals; 
‘‘(2) develop and promote policies that support 
housing services for unhoused individuals that have, 
or likely have, at least one mental and behavioral 
health condition; 
‘‘(3) facilitate coordination among— 
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‘‘(A) Federal, State, and local entities that 
serve unhoused individuals; and 
‘‘(B) entities that provide mental and be-
havioral health services; and 
‘‘(4) provide technical assistance to entities re-
ceiving a grant under section 520O–1 regarding the 
use of Federal funds to best support mental and be-
havioral health services for unhoused individuals. 
‘‘(c) GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—In 
carrying out the duties under subsection (b), the Director 
may make grants to and enter into contracts and coopera-
tive agreements with public and nonprofit private entities. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029. 
‘‘SEC. 520O–1. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RE-
SPONSE GRANTS FOR UNHOUSED INDIVID-
UALS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 
shall establish a grant program under which the Secretary 
will award grants to eligible entities to improve mental and 
behavioral health and housing services for unhoused indi-
viduals, including through— 
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‘‘(1) the expansion and improvement of mental 
and behavioral health services for unhoused individ-
uals; and 
‘‘(2) the expansion and improvement of housing 
services for individuals experiencing, or likely experi-
encing, mental and behavioral health conditions. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity is eligible to receive a 
grant under this section if such entity is— 
‘‘(1) a State (as defined in section 534); 
‘‘(2) a municipality or other unit of local gov-
ernment; or 
‘‘(3) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of 
the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist-
ance Act). 
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity may use funds re-
ceived through a grant under this section to increase ac-
cess to mental and behavioral health services for unhoused 
individuals, including through— 
‘‘(1) expanding access to evidence-based sub-
stance use disorder treatment and recovery activities 
and services for unhoused individuals; 
‘‘(2) increasing access to medication-assisted 
treatment for unhoused individuals who are also ex-
periencing opioid use disorder; 
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‘‘(3) implementing and expanding harm reduc-
tion strategies and services through programs that 
serve unhoused individuals; 
‘‘(4) reducing opioid and synthetic opioid or 
fentanyl overdose deaths among unhoused individ-
uals; 
‘‘(5) implementing and expanding evidence- 
based substance use disorder prevention strategies 
among unhoused individuals; 
‘‘(6) expanding and increasing care coordina-
tion for unhoused individuals experiencing a mental 
and behavioral health condition; 
‘‘(7) expanding access to and increasing the 
number of health care professionals who treat 
unhoused individuals experiencing at least one men-
tal and behavioral health condition; 
‘‘(8) establishing and expanding housing pro-
grams targeting unhoused individuals experiencing 
mental and behavioral health conditions; 
‘‘(9) expanding access to mental and behavioral 
health diagnostic services for unhoused individuals; 
‘‘(10) supporting and expanding the mental and 
behavioral 
health 
care 
workforce 
that 
treats 
unhoused individuals; and 
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‘‘(11) supporting and expanding evidence-based 
mental health training for non-health care profes-
sionals that interface frequently with unhoused indi-
viduals, such as law enforcement personnel and first 
responders. 
‘‘(d) ALLOCATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amount made avail-
able to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall distribute a portion of such amount 
to eligible entities selected to receive a grant under 
this section on the basis of a formula developed by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITIZATION.—The formula developed 
by the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall prioritize 
eligible entities located in regions that— 
‘‘(A) experience high rates of homelessness 
and housing instability; and 
‘‘(B) experience above-average housing 
costs. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$2,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 
2029. 
‘‘SEC. 520O–2. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subpart: 
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‘‘(1) MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.—The 
term ‘mental and behavioral health’ means the 
health of an individual as it pertains to mental ill-
ness, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and substance use 
disorders. 
‘‘(2) 
UNHOUSED
INDIVIDUAL.—The 
term 
‘unhoused individual’ has the meaning given the 
term ‘homeless individual’ in section 103(a) of the 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.’’. 
Æ 
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