I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 161 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program to 
provide supportive services in permanent supportive housing for chron-
ically homeless individuals and families, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2017 
Mr. HASTINGS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant 
program to provide supportive services in permanent sup-
portive housing for chronically homeless individuals and 
families, 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 ‘‘Services for Ending 
Long-Term Homelessness Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) Nationally, on any given night, there are 
approximately 83,000 people who are experiencing 
chronic homelessness. Chronically homeless people 
often live in shelters or on the streets for years at 
a time, experience repeated episodes of homelessness 
without achieving housing stability, or cycle between 
homelessness, jails, mental health facilities, and hos-
pitals. 
(2) In 2003, the New Freedom Commission on 
Mental Health recommended the development and 
implementation of a comprehensive plan designed to 
facilitate access to 150,000 units of permanent sup-
portive housing for consumers and families who are 
chronically homeless. The Commission found that af-
fordable housing alone is insufficient for many peo-
ple with severe mental illness, and that flexible, mo-
bile, individualized support services are also nec-
essary to support and sustain consumers in their 
housing. 
(3) The United States Interagency Council on 
Homelessness (USICH), originally authorized by 
title II of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 11311 et seq.) and reauthorized by 
the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid 
Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009 (di-
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vision B of Public Law 111–22), is responsible for 
coordinating the Federal response to homelessness in 
cooperation with the Secretaries and senior leaders 
of the 19 Federal member agencies. Since the 
USICH’s implementation of ‘‘Opening Doors: Fed-
eral Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homeless-
ness’’, chronic homelessness in the United States 
has been reduced by 22 percent, including a 13 per-
cent reduction in unsheltered chronic homelessness. 
(4) Research indicates that permanent sup-
portive housing is a cost-effective solution to chronic 
homelessness that leads to improved residential sta-
bility and reduction in psychiatric symptoms. Stud-
ies have also shown that supportive housing is asso-
ciated with significant reductions in costs for emer-
gency room visits, hospitalizations, shelters, sobering 
centers, jails, and other public services used by peo-
ple experiencing homelessness. 
(5) By implementing permanent supportive 
housing, communities are making progress toward 
ending chronic homelessness. 
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SEC. 3. DUTIES OF ADMINISTRATOR OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE 
AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINIS-
TRATION. 
Section 501(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290aa(d)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (17), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (18), by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(19) collaborate with Federal departments and 
programs that are part of the United States Inter-
agency Council on Homelessness, particularly the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
the Department of Labor, and the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, and with other agencies within the 
Department of Health and Human Services, particu-
larly the Health Resources and Services Administra-
tion, the Administration for Children and Families, 
and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 
to design national strategies for providing services in 
supportive housing that will assist in ending chronic 
homelessness and to implement programs that ad-
dress chronic homelessness.’’. 
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SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR SERVICES FOR CHRONICALLY HOME-
LESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN SUP-
PORTIVE HOUSING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title V of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.), as amended by sub-
section (b), is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘PART K—GRANTS FOR SERVICES TO END 
CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS 
‘‘SEC. 597. GRANTS FOR SERVICES TO END CHRONIC HOME-
LESSNESS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall make 
grants to entities described in paragraph (2) for the 
purpose of carrying out projects to provide the serv-
ices described in subsection (d) to chronically home-
less individuals and families in permanent supportive 
housing. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
ENTITIES.—For purposes of 
paragraph (1), an entity described in this paragraph 
is— 
‘‘(A) a State or political subdivision of a 
State, an Indian tribe or tribal organization, or 
a public or nonprofit private entity, including a 
community-based provider of homelessness serv-
ices, health care, housing, or other services im-
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portant to individuals and families who are 
chronically homeless; or 
‘‘(B) a consortium composed of entities de-
scribed in subparagraph (A), which consortium 
includes a public or nonprofit private entity 
that serves as the lead applicant and has re-
sponsibility for fiscal management, project man-
agement, and coordinating the activities of the 
consortium. 
‘‘(b) PRIORITIES.—In making grants under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall give priority to applicants 
demonstrating that the applicants— 
‘‘(1) target the services described in subsection 
(d) and related funds to individuals or families 
who— 
‘‘(A) have been homeless for longer periods 
of time or have experienced more episodes of 
homelessness than are required to be individ-
uals or families who are chronically homeless; 
‘‘(B) have high rates of utilization of emer-
gency public systems of care; or 
‘‘(C) have a history of interactions with 
law enforcement and the criminal justice sys-
tem; 
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‘‘(2) have greater funding commitments from 
State or local government agencies responsible for 
overseeing mental health treatment, substance use 
disorder treatment, medical care, and employment 
(including commitments to provide Federal funds in 
accordance with subsection (e)(2)(B)(ii)); 
‘‘(3) will provide for an increase in the number 
of units of permanent supportive housing that would 
serve chronically homeless individuals and families in 
the community as a result of an award of a grant 
under subsection (a); and 
‘‘(4) have demonstrated experience providing 
services to address the mental health and substance 
use disorder problems of chronically homeless indi-
viduals and families living in permanent supportive 
housing settings. 
‘‘(c) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that consideration is given to geographic dis-
tribution (such as urban and rural areas) in the awarding 
of grants under subsection (a). 
‘‘(d) SERVICES.—The services referred to in sub-
section (a) are the following: 
‘‘(1) Services provided by the grantee or by 
qualified subcontractors that promote recovery and 
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self-sufficiency and address barriers to housing sta-
bility, including the following: 
‘‘(A) Mental health services, including 
treatment and recovery support services. 
‘‘(B) Substance use disorder treatment and 
recovery support services, including counseling, 
treatment planning, recovery coaching, and re-
lapse prevention. 
‘‘(C) Integrated, coordinated treatment 
and recovery support services for co-occurring 
disorders. 
‘‘(D) Health education, including referrals 
for medical and dental care. 
‘‘(E) Services designed to help individuals 
and families make progress toward self-suffi-
ciency and recovery, including benefits advo-
cacy, money management, life-skills training, 
self-help programs, and engagement and moti-
vational interventions. 
‘‘(F) Parental skills and family support. 
‘‘(G) Case management. 
‘‘(H) Other supportive services that pro-
mote an end to chronic homelessness. 
‘‘(I) Coordination or partnership with 
other agencies, programs, or mainstream bene-
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fits to maximize the availability of services and 
resources to meet the needs of chronically 
homeless individuals and families living in sup-
portive housing using cost-effective approaches 
that avoid duplication. 
‘‘(J) Data collection and measuring per-
formance outcomes as specified in subsection 
(k). 
‘‘(2) Services, as described in paragraph (1), 
that are delivered to individuals and families who 
are chronically homeless and who are scheduled to 
become residents of permanent supportive housing 
within 90 days pending the location or development 
of an appropriate unit of housing. 
‘‘(3) For individuals and families who are oth-
erwise eligible, and who have voluntarily chosen to 
seek other housing opportunities after a period of 
tenancy in supportive housing, services, as described 
in paragraph (1), that are delivered, for a period of 
90 days after exiting permanent supportive housing 
or until the individuals have transitioned to com-
prehensive services adequate to meet their current 
needs, provided that the purpose of the services is to 
support the individuals in their choice to transition 
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‘‘(A) The contribution is made from funds 
of the applicant or from donations from public 
or private entities. 
‘‘(B) Of the contribution— 
‘‘(i) not less than 80 percent is from 
non-Federal funds; and 
‘‘(ii) not more than 20 percent is from 
Federal funds provided under programs 
that— 
‘‘(I) are not expressly directed at 
services for homeless individuals, but 
whose purposes are broad enough to 
include the provision of a service or 
services described in subsection (d) as 
authorized expenditures under such 
program; and 
‘‘(II) do not prohibit Federal 
funds under the program from being 
used to provide a contribution that is 
required as a condition for obtaining 
Federal funds. 
‘‘(3) DETERMINATION
OF
AMOUNT
CONTRIB-
UTED.—Contributions required in paragraph (1) 
may be in cash or in-kind equipment or services. 
Amounts provided by the Federal Government, or 
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services assisted or subsidized to any significant ex-
tent by the Federal Government, may not be in-
cluded in determining the amount of non-Federal 
contributions required in paragraph (2)(B)(i). 
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A condition for 
the receipt of a grant under subsection (a) is that the ap-
plicant involved agrees that not more than 10 percent of 
the grant will be expended for administrative expenses 
with respect to the grant. Expenses for data collection and 
measuring performance outcomes as specified in sub-
section (k) shall not be considered as administrative ex-
penses subject to the limitation in this subsection. 
‘‘(g) CERTAIN USES OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding 
other provisions of this section, a grantee under subsection 
(a) may expend not more than 20 percent of the grant 
to provide the services described in subsection (d) to home-
less individuals or families who are not chronically home-
less individuals or families. 
‘‘(h) APPLICATION FOR GRANT.—A grant may be 
made under subsection (a) only if an application for the 
grant is submitted to the Secretary and the application 
is in such form, is made in such manner, and contains 
such agreements, assurances, and information as the Sec-
retary determines to be necessary to carry out this section. 
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‘‘(i) CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.—A condition for the 
receipt of a grant under subsection (a) is that the appli-
cant involved demonstrate the following: 
‘‘(1) The applicant and all direct providers of 
services have the experience, infrastructure, and ex-
pertise needed to ensure the quality and effective-
ness of services, which may be demonstrated by any 
of the following: 
‘‘(A) Compliance with all local, city, coun-
ty, or State requirements for licensing, accredi-
tation, or certification (if any) which are appli-
cable to the proposed project. 
‘‘(B) A minimum of 2 years experience 
providing comparable services that do not re-
quire licensing, accreditation, or certification. 
‘‘(C) Certification as a Medicaid service 
provider, including health care for the homeless 
programs and community health centers. 
‘‘(D) An executed agreement with a rel-
evant State or local government agency that 
will provide oversight over the mental health, 
substance use disorder, or other services that 
will be delivered by the project. 
‘‘(2) There is a mechanism for determining 
whether residents of permanent supportive housing 
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are chronically homeless individuals or families. 
Such a mechanism may rely on local data systems 
or records of shelter admission. If there are no 
sources of data regarding the duration or number of 
homeless episodes, or if such data are unreliable for 
the purposes of this subsection, an applicant must 
demonstrate that the project will implement appro-
priate procedures, taking into consideration the ca-
pacity of local homeless service providers to docu-
ment episodes of homelessness and the challenges of 
engaging individuals and families who have been 
chronically homeless, to verify that an individual or 
family is chronically homeless. 
‘‘(3) The applicant participates in a local, re-
gional, or Statewide homeless management informa-
tion system. 
‘‘(j) DURATION OF INITIAL AND RENEWAL GRANTS; 
ADDITIONAL
PROVISIONS
REGARDING
RENEWAL 
GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 
and (3), the period during which payments are made 
to a grantee under subsection (a) shall be in accord-
ance with the following: 
‘‘(A) In the case of the initial grant, the 
period of payments shall be 5 years. 
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‘‘(B) In the case of a subsequent grant (re-
ferred to in this subsection as a ‘renewal 
grant’), the period of payments shall not be 
more than 5 years. 
‘‘(2) ANNUAL APPROVAL; AVAILABILITY OF AP-
PROPRIATIONS; NUMBER OF GRANTS.—The provision 
of payments under an initial or renewal grant is sub-
ject to annual approval by the Secretary of the pay-
ments and to the availability of appropriations for 
the fiscal year involved to make the payments. This 
subsection may not be construed as establishing a 
limitation on the number of grants under subsection 
(a) that may be made to an entity. 
‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS REGARDING RE-
NEWAL GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) COMPLIANCE WITH MINIMUM STAND-
ARDS.—A renewal grant may be made by the 
Secretary only if the Secretary determines that 
the applicant involved has, in the project car-
ried out with the grant, maintained compliance 
with minimum standards for quality and suc-
cessful outcomes for housing retention, as de-
termined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNT.—The maximum amount of 
a renewal grant under this subsection for an 
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