Transitional Housing for Recovery in Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chair, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ranking member for her leadership on this issue.
Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 5735, the THRIVE Act.
H.R. 5735 has a worthy goal. Helping individuals struggling with addiction to access treatment and recovery services is certainly important, but despite these intentions, H.R. 5735 has significant flaws which, in the end, make the bill unworkable.
My primary concern is that H.R. 5735 carves out 10,000 existing Section 8 vouchers for use in this pilot program without authorizing new funding for any additional vouchers. This essentially decreases the number of Section 8 vouchers in circulation and increases wait times for millions of other households already seeking a voucher. Those forced to wait will include low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and those experiencing homelessness.
You cannot just change words in the law. You need to open your checking account or your checkbook.
Currently, only one in four households who are eligible for Federal affordable housing assistance receive it. In New York City, we have more than 150,000 people waiting for a voucher.
While I fully support helping all people with substance abuse disorders and recognize the important role affordable housing plays in an individual's recovery process, providing affordable housing for individuals with substance use disorders should not come at the expense of others in need.
HUD's Affordable Housing and Section 8 programs are woefully underfunded. Instead of providing Section 8 vouchers to just those with substance use disorders, we should be providing significantly more resources and expanding the Section 8 program to help all those in need.
Additionally, this bill places arbitrary time limits on the individuals participating in the demonstration program. This is counterproductive and out of step with other existing supportive housing programs.
Finally, while H.R. 5735 seeks to help individuals suffering from substance use disorders, it does nothing to address the fact that many people with these disorders lose their housing because of the harsh eviction policies in Federal housing assistance programs.
I support the ranking member in her continued effort to ensure those individuals with substance use disorders face fairer eviction procedures and ban one strike policies that cause tenants to lose their assistance for a single incident of drug use.
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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Chair, again, H.R. 5735 has a worthy goal. However, this bill is plagued with a number of problems, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it unless you provide the resources to make this legislation work.
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