H.R. 10487: Recovery First Housing Act

This bill would change the federal homeless assistance law so that certain housing providers receiving McKinney-Vento funds would have to offer substance use disorder treatment to people they admit into:

• emergency shelters,
• transitional housing, or
• permanent housing.

The requirement would apply to people whom the project sponsor determines have a substance use disorder. The bill also says the treatment must include step-down treatment, which it defines as a structured process that helps someone move from more intensive care to less intensive, community-based care.

The bill defines “substance use disorder treatment” as an evidence-based intervention provided by a licensed provider. It lists several possible forms of care, including:

• medically supervised withdrawal management,
• residential treatment,
• intensive outpatient treatment,
• outpatient treatment,
• medication-assisted treatment when clinically appropriate,
• recovery housing with clinical support, and
• step-down treatment.

The bill includes an exception for unaccompanied minors; the treatment-offer requirement would not apply to project sponsors admitting them.

In practical terms, the bill would require federally funded homelessness programs covered by the measure to connect eligible residents with addiction treatment options as part of housing services, rather than providing housing alone.

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