115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5735 
AN ACT 
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. 
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 HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS RECOV-
ERING 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 HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS 
RECOVERING
FROM
OPIOID
USE
DISORDERS
OR 
OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.— 
‘‘(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 
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 housing pro-
gram that provides treatment for opioid use dis-
orders or other substance use disorders (as ap-
plicable), coordination with workforce develop-
ment providers, and such assistance, as deter-
mined by the entity. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNT.—The amount specified in 
this subparagraph is, for fiscal year 2019, the 
amount necessary to provide the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) 0.5 percent of the total number of 
vouchers renewed 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— 
‘‘(i) provide an evidence-based treat-
ment program and demonstrate the ability 
to coordinate with workforce development 
providers for individuals recovering from 
an opioid use disorder or other substance 
use disorder, as applicable, that meet 
standards established by the Secretary; 
and 
‘‘(ii) demonstrate prior experience ad-
ministering rental assistance vouchers,
demonstrate prior experience administering 
supportive 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 administra-
tion 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, 
coordination 
with 
workforce development providers, and rent-
al assistance to be provided to a covered 
individual, and assurances that such de-
scription shall be communicated to covered 
individuals that receive vouchers pursuant 
to the demonstration program established 
under this paragraph;
‘‘(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, coordination with 
workforce development opportunities, and 
housing resources and services available to 
such covered individual; and 
‘‘(iii) evidence sufficient to dem-
onstrate that the local government having 
jurisdiction over the location of any sup-
portive housing facility to be used by the 
eligible entity in connection with the dem-
onstration program under this paragraph 
permits such facilities in such location. 
‘‘(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, including trib-
al communities;
‘‘(III) have adequate resources 
for treatment, recovery, and sup-
portive services; 
‘‘(IV) fully comply with the Fair 
Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) 
and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000a et seq.); 
‘‘(V) appropriately reflect the im-
pact that opioids are having in tribal 
communities; and 
‘‘(VI) 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-
orders, as applicable, based on data of 
the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention; and 
‘‘(ii) consider, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services 
and the Secretary of Labor— 
‘‘(I) the success of each recipient 
eligible entity at helping individuals 
complete the treatment program of 
the eligible entity and refrain from il-
licit opioid or other substance usage, 
as applicable; 
‘‘(II) the coordination with work-
force development providers by the eli-
gible entity; 
‘‘(III) the percentage of partici-
pants in unsubsidized employment 
during the second and fourth calendar 
quarter after exit from the program; 
and 
‘‘(IV) the percentage of partici-
pants in the treatment program of the 
eligible entity that do not relapse into 
opioid or other substance usage, as 
applicable. 
‘‘(F) REISSUANCE
OF
VOUCHER.—Upon 
termination 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) 
WAIVERS.—The 
Secretary 
may, 
through publication of a notice in the Federal 
Register, waive or specify alternative require-
ments for any provision of statue or regulation 
governing the use of vouchers under this sub-
section (except for requirements relating to fair 
housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, or 
the environment) upon a finding by the Sec-
retary that such waiver or alternative require-
ment is necessary for the purposes of this para-
graph. 
‘‘(I) 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-
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. 
‘‘(J) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘el-
igible entity’ means a tribally designated 
housing entity (as such term is defined in 
section 4 of the Native American Housing
and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (24 
U.S.C. 4103)), or a nonprofit organization, 
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. DEMONSTRATION CLOSE-OUT. 
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 not 
later than the day that is 5 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act for use only for renewals of expiring 
contracts for such assistance.
SEC. 5. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
No additional funds are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out the requirements of this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act. Such requirements shall 
be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be 
appropriated. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 14, 2018. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5735 
AN ACT 
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.