Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding. I congratulate my friend and colleague from Kentucky (Mr. Barr) for tackling this difficult and very important issue.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this much-needed legislation that would expand housing options for individuals who are transitioning out of addiction treatment and require continued support. These are typically people who have exhausted all of their resources already.

Why? Because they are addicted. That is why they are in this, that is why they qualify for these housing assistance vouchers, and this is right on target for helping them.

The THRIVE Act is an important piece of legislation with strong, bipartisan support that came out of our committee that would create a pilot program to allocate Section 8 housing choice vouchers to transitional housing nonprofits with evidence-based models of recovery and life skills training. It is important to note that this is 10,000 total vouchers out of the 2.2 million that are available, or one-half of 1 percent of all of those vouchers, whichever is less, so we are talking about a small portion of all of the total vouchers that are available.

But here is what we do know, Mr. Chairman. Our country, our States, and our communities are in crisis right now. Over the last decade, there has been this dramatic rise in opioid abuse, whether it is the nonmedical use of prescription drugs, as well as illicitly manufactured heroin. We need engagement at every level.

In light of this medical emergency, there is an extremely pressing need for additional transitional housing for opioid recovery. These housing programs must follow a proven evidence- based approach that has helped thousands of Americans to maintain sobriety after completing rehab, gain valuable job skills, and eventually transition back into society to lead independent lives.

Time and time again, individuals who have just completed inpatient rehab programs are forced to live in housing situations where they are surrounded by people who are using the same illegal substances that sent them into rehab. We have to change that.

While the evidence suggests that effective treatment and recovery plans should cover a span of 3 to 5 years for an individual, based on their needs and severity, we have a long way to go to properly prioritize and fund the recovery support programs and resources that individuals need in their communities. Twenty-three million Americans are in recovery today--let me repeat that--23 million people are in recovery today for substance abuse.

A sober, safe, and healthy living environment that promotes recovery from substance abuse is essential in providing recovery support. These are people who qualify, as I said before, for these Section 8 vouchers. Because they have exhausted their resources, let's throw them a lifeline. Let's throw them some help. Let's allow them to have an opportunity to go and succeed.

That is why I support the THRIVE Act, which also has the support of the Michigan Heroin and Opiate Prevention and Education program, which is known as Mi-HOPE, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source