Rep. Ken Calvert
U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) on Feb. 1 offered legislation that would require homeless Americans receiving federal housing assistance to be referred and treated for substance abuse and behavioral health disorders.
“After spending billions of taxpayer dollars on well-intentioned federal homeless programs, it’s clear our current approach is simply not working,” Rep. Calvert said. “Huge percentages of our homeless population are falling through the cracks of our homeless programs because they are not getting the treatment they need for their mental health or drug abuse challenges.”
The Treatment and Homeless Housing Integration Act, H.R. 7186, which has five GOP original cosponsors, including U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), aims to address the problem “by synchronizing federally funded housing programs together with federally funded behavioral health services,” said Rep. Calvert.
If enacted, H.R. 7186 specifically would provide for the integration of participant treatment within the Continuum of Care Program (CoC) with Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, according to the congressional record bill summary.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CoC Program promotes subsidized housing, but fails to explicitly require the homeless population to participate in a mental health and substance abuse treatment program, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Calvert’s staff.
H.R. 7186 would direct HUD to require CoC grantees to refer program participants to community-based treatment. Homeless individuals who qualify for permanent supportive housing by receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits would be referred to the nearest Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, which provide comprehensive physical and behavioral health care services and are required to serve anyone requesting care for mental health or substance use, the summary says.
Coordinating housing and treatment for SSI and SSDI beneficiaries would establish a comprehensive support system to provide a pathway toward self-sufficiency, states the summary.