I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5137 
To reauthorize and expand the pilot program to help individuals in recovery 
from a substance use disorder become stably housed, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 4, 2023 
Ms. BONAMICI (for herself and Mr. FITZPATRICK) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To reauthorize and expand the pilot program to help individ-
uals in recovery from a substance use disorder become 
stably housed, 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 ‘‘Supporting Transition 
And Recovery Through Housing Act of 2023’’ or the 
‘‘START Housing Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF RECOVERY HOUSING PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 8071 of the SUPPORT for Patients and 
Communities Act (42 U.S.C. 5301 note) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘2019 through 2023’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2024 through 2029’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘for a period of not more 
than 2 years or’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘, whichever is earlier’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, act-
ing through the Office of Community Planning 
and Development in consultation with the Of-
fice of Special Needs Assistance,’’ before ‘‘not 
later than’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘allocated to’’ and inserting ‘‘prioritized 
for’’; and 
(ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and 
inserting the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—Among the States, pri-
ority shall be given to States with the greatest 
need, as such need is determined by the Sec-
retary based on the following factors: 
‘‘(i) The highest average rates of un-
employment based on data provided by the 
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Bureau of Labor Statistics for calendar 
years 2019 through 2023. 
‘‘(ii) The lowest average labor force 
participation rates based on data provided 
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for cal-
endar years 2019 through 2023. 
‘‘(iii) The highest age-adjusted rates 
of drug overdose deaths based on data 
from the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention. 
‘‘(iv) The highest rates of unsheltered 
homelessness as determined by the most 
recent annual point-in-time count of per-
sons experiencing homelessness required by 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban De-
velopment under title IV of the McKinney- 
Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
11360 et seq.).’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘, low-barrier’’ after 
‘‘effective’’; and 
(ii) by inserting before the period at 
the end the following: ‘‘with an expectation 
that persons participating in the program 
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have access to stable housing upon exiting 
the program’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(4) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—As a con-
dition of receiving funds under this section, a State 
shall use such funds received under this section only 
to supplement the level of State or local funds that 
would, in the absence of the receipt of funds under 
this section, be made available for related housing 
and recovery services. 
‘‘(5) CONSULTATION.—Each State that receives 
amounts pursuant to this section shall consult with 
continuums of care and public housing agencies to 
assess needs for implementing funds and developing 
a plan to support individuals receiving stable hous-
ing in connection with funding under this section 
with transfer to other housing at the end of the indi-
viduals’ eligibility.’’; and 
(4) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 
use not more than 2 percent of the funds made available 
under this section for technical assistance, to publish best 
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practices, and to conduct outreach to grantees or poten-
tially eligible participants.’’. 
Æ 
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